


You’re All I Am Asking For

by Kittyinaz



Category: Twilight Series - Stephenie Meyer, Vampire Diaries (TV)
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-09-16
Updated: 2014-05-29
Packaged: 2017-12-26 19:52:07
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 29
Words: 109,518
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/969645
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Kittyinaz/pseuds/Kittyinaz
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Bella doesn’t become comatose when Edward leaves. Instead she became angry. She went on to become a world renown researcher, debunking supernatural legends, using her insider information. She even writes a book, all the while hiding from the Volturi. Imagine her surprise when she meets Damon and her entire life is turned upside down. First in a series.</p><p>Disclosure: Twilight and Vampire Diaries are owned by their respective braianics that thought of it. </p><p>For more information, check out my website: http://kittyinaz.wordpress.com/</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Prologue:  Gravity Pulls

# Prologue Gravity Pulls

 

**[ ](http://kittyinaz.files.wordpress.com/2012/11/forks.jpg) **

**Pre Edit Count -   1,223 Words**

_Song I listened to for this chapter: All That I am Asking For_ by Lifehouse.

 

 

* * *

*“Come for a walk with me,” he suggested in an unemotional voice, taking my hand.

I didn’t answer.  I couldn’t think of a way to protest, but I instantly knew I wanted to.  I didn’t like this. _This is bad, this is very bad,_  the voice in my head repeated again and again.

But he didn’t wait for an answer.  He pulled me along toward the east side of the yard, where the forest encroached.  I followed unwillingly, trying to think through the panic.  It was what I wanted, I reminded myself.  The chance to talk it all through.  So why was the panic choking me?

We’d gone only a few steps into the trees when he stopped.  We were barely on the trail-I could still see the house.

Some walk.

Edward leaned against a tree and stared at me, his expression unreadable.

“Okay, let’s talk,” I said.  It sounded braver than it felt.

He took a deep breath.

“Bella, we’re leaving.”

I took a deep breath too.  This was an acceptable option. I thought I was prepared.  But I still had to ask.

“Why now? Another year-“

“Bella, it’s time.  How much longer could we stay in Forks, after all?  Carlisle can barely pass for thirty, and he’s claiming thirty-three now.  We’d have to start over soon regardless.”

His answer confused me.  I thought the point of leaving was to let his family live in peace.  Why did we have to leave if they were going?  I stared at him, trying to understand what he meant.

He stared back coldly.

With a roll of nausea, I realized I’d misunderstood.

“When you say _we_ -,” I whispered.

“I mean my family and myself.” Each word separate and distinct.

I shook my head back and forth mechanically, trying to clear it.  He waited without any sign of impatience.  It took a few minutes before I can speak.

“Okay,” I said. “I’ll come with you.”

“I’m no good for you, Bella.”

“Don’t be ridiculous,” I wanted to sound angry, but it just sounded like I was begging. “You’re the very best part of my life.”

“My world is not for you,” he said grimly.

“What happened with Jasper-that was nothing, Edward! Nothing!”

“You’re right,” he agreed. “It was exactly what was to be expected.”

“You promised! In Phoenix, you promised that you would stay-“

“As long as that was best for you,” He interrupted correct me.

“ _No!_ This is about my soul, isn’t it?” I shouted, furious the words exploding out of me-somehow it still sounded like a plea. “Carlisle told me about that, and I don’t care, Edward.  I don’t care! You can have my soul.  I don’t want it without you-It’s yours already!”

HE took a deep breath and stared, unseeingly, at the ground for a long moment.  His mouth twisted the tiniest bit.  When he finally looked up, his eyes were different, harder-like the liquid gold had frozen solid.

“Bella, I don’t want you to come with me.” He spoke the words slowly and precisely, his cold eyes on my face, watching as I absorbed what he was really saying.

There was a pause as I repeated the words in my head a few times, sifting through them for their real intent.

“You…don’t…want me?” I tried out the words, confused by the way they sounded, placed in that order.

“No.”

I stared uncomprehending, into his eyes. He stared back without apology.  His eyes were like topaz-hard and clear and very deep.  I felt like I could see into them for miles and miles, yet nowhere in their bottomless depths could I see a contradiction to the word he’d spoken.

“Well that changes things.” I was surprised by how calm and reasonable my voice sounded.* (Meyer, 2006)

Edward started to say something, and I cut him off before he had the chance to do more than open his mouth. “So, you have lied to me all this time?”  My voice was still calm, not showing the fury I was beginning to have as my mind thought out what he was saying to me.  All those promises and declarations of love were untrue?

His stare was unchanging as he commented, “I have never lied to you, Bella.”

I looked at him, my gaze never wavering.  “Yes, Edward.  You have.  You told me that you were my mate.  That you loved me.  But I can see how some of this is my fault.  I never stood up for myself lately.”  I started to get angry at myself for allowing myself to trust him so much. Had I been that eager for someone to love me?

Edward shifted slightly. “Bella, I have never lied to you.  I never said you were my mate.  Look at you, you are a human, how would I know you are my mate?”  His look was full of ridicule.

I scoff as I move around slightly.  The fury I was feeling was indescribable.  “No, Edward.  You did tell me you were my mate.  But it doesn’t matter, does it.  I don’t want you.  Why would I want someone like you?  But then I should have known.  Once a liar, always a liar.  Leave, Edward.” My eyes were hard as I looked at him.

He stared at me.  He opened his mouth and I interrupted him again.  “Leave Edward.  You have wasted enough time with your lies.  Since you have no intention of staying, I will figure out how to deal with any issues that come up.  I need to start moving on since I _am_ just human.”  The flinch I receive from him is gratifying.

He moves away from the tree he was leaning on, coming up to me.  I backed away from him.  “Edward, leave.  There is nothing more I want to say to someone like you.  I will talk with Alice later.” And she will be answering some questions of her own and be getting a lesson in real Bella.

He looks away.  My anger skyrocketed. “They are gone, aren’t they?  That is why I haven’t seen them.  How did you get Emmett and Alice to leave?” The last was said through my clenched jaw.

I looked at him then shook my head. “You know what, never mind.  Leave.  I want nothing to do with you nor your family if they can leave me that easily.  It is for the best that this happened now rather than when things get tough.  Now I know who really has my back.”

With that I turned away and walked back to the house.  Edward suddenly appeared in front of me. “Bella-“

I ignored him.  I moved around him, and was inside the house.  I threw the lock and slid down the inside of the door.

Everything was a lie.  I couldn’t trust anything they had told me.  None of it makes sense.  I couldn’t understand why they played the I-care-for-the-human-game?  I sighed and leaned my head against the cool door.

After a few minutes, I got up and moved to the kitchen, my body running on remote as my mind turned the facts over in my head.

When I reached the kitchen, my temper flared as I saw the note that I supposedly left.  How dare he!

My temper stewing, I made the resolution that I would not be that Bella any more.  No, Pushover Bella is now gone.  The new Bella is not going to fall for men as easily.

With that resolution, Bella made dinner for her father and herself while she planned her future.

 

* * *

**Final count, 1,296 words.**

**Fairfarren~Wendy**


	2. Long for the Unseen

# Chapter 1 Long for the Unseen

**[ ](http://kittyinaz.files.wordpress.com/2012/11/mg_0474_5_6_tonemapped.jpg) **

**Disclosure:  Twilight and Vampire Diaries are owned by their respective brainiacs that thought of it.  I just write what the voices tell me to.**

**Pre Edit Count -   1,223 Words**

_Song I listened to for this chapter: Anybody Out There_ by Civil Twilight.

* * *

_Previous:_

_I ignored him.  I moved around him, and was inside the house.  I threw the lock and slid down the inside of the door._

_Everything was a lie.  I couldn’t trust anything they had told me.  None of it makes sense.  I couldn’t understand why they played the I-care-for-the-human-game?  I sighed and leaned my head against the cool door._

_After a few minutes, I got up and moved to the kitchen, my body running on remote as my mind turned the facts over in my head._

_When I reached the kitchen, my temper flared as I saw the note that I supposedly left.  How dare he!_

_My temper stewing, I made the resolution that I would not be that Bella any more.  No, Pushover Bella is now gone.  The new Bella is not going to fall for men as easily._

_With that resolution, Bella made dinner for her father and herself while she planned her future._

_Now:_

* * *

In the years gone by, Bella had made good with her resolution.  She also decided to be smart, not prideful, since she had told herself that pride cometh before the fall.  So when she received the money from the Cullens as well as the full ride scholarships, she took them.  And didn’t look back once in regret.

When the Cullens had first left, Jacob had tried to get close to her, and she, after much internal debate and external from her father, gave in.  And then after their first date, he didn’t return her calls.  She had gone out to confront him, and instead gained another secret to keep.

Angry with Jacob and the rest of the reservation on their treatment of her that because of her foolish past association with the vampires, they scorned her, she refused to deal with them and never stepped foot on the reservation afterwards.  Only Leah had watched the brunette when Jacob blasted her about her dating Edward. Curious about the anger that was like hers, she went to Bella’s house to find out what had happened. When she learned of everything Bella had gone through, she had tried to get the rest of the Pack’s attention.  She did, but it was too late for Bella and the pack.  Bella Swan had decided never to give someone a second chance after they treated her like that.  It hurt too much and she was tired of being hurt by inconsiderate fools.

She did what she felt she had to do to finish school and left them all behind as she concentrated on her plan for her future.  Once graduation came, Bella left without a second glance.  The only person she had kept up with afterwards was her father.  But when he started to date Sue and found out all the secrets, he told her he understood.  For while she did lie and kept secrets from him, he has also kept secrets from her, for the same reason.  And with those thoughts, and what he had learned from his daughter, he knew what would need to happen for her to live.  He began the subtle pulling away from his daughter he loved, knowing that if nothing else, one person would find her and hopefully give her the gift that she had wanted at one point.

So when Bella was getting ready to graduate with a degree in English and Archeology, and not wanting to go back to Forks or even the state, Charlie offered her an alternative.  He told her that her Grandmother Helen Swan had come from a town in Virginia called Mystic Falls and that they were the last descendants of the line.  He told her that the house was still there and she was more than welcome to live there, since it was just sitting there empty.  He had also known that if she was there, she could be found quicker.

Unknown to Charlie, Bella had taken her story and while in college, she had written it down as an exercise in one of her classes.  It was to be a fantasy life, but Bella got a few chuckles as she wrote true life, figuring that it would be taken as fantasy.  Her teacher had praised her abilities to bring the world to life with such richness and encouraged her to write a story.  Bella removed some features and added others.  Enough to make them different and not to get her in trouble with the Volturi, the three leaders that she remembered Edward showing and telling her about.

It became a hit under a pseudo name she had taken.  She refused any publicity and according to her agent, it seemed to add to the mystery.  There had been many fans who had requested that she do more books, but right now, she didn’t feel like doing them.  They wanted a happy ending, and as the first book stands, there is a chance for that.  Her story however ended on a bad note.

So the offer of a home in Mystic Falls, away from the madness of the supernatural, was a godsend.  She made a trip out there one weekend to look at the house and see what needs to be done to make it possible for her to live in.

* * *

She comes on a Wednesday.  Liz Forbes, the Sherriff, had decided to meet her as a courtesy to Charlie.  She is smiling as she greets the young woman standing in front of her, “Welcome to Virginia, Ms. Swan!”

Bella smiles at the woman, saying, “I look forward to living in the town.  I have much research to do and look forward to being here where it is quiet.”

Liz’s smile didn’t waiver, but her mind is going furiously, ‘ _I wonder how she will deal with the supernatural world.  Her grandmother left, but her family name is still revered and honored on the council.  When I told them that there will be a Moutin here, they were happy.’_

[ ](http://kittyinaz.files.wordpress.com/2012/11/mystic-falls.jpg)

Bella is quiet as they make their way to the house, she watches out the windows of the car. When they pull up a driveway and the house appears, Bella is shocked to see that it didn’t look as run down as she was expecting from the way her  
father described it.

[ ](http://kittyinaz.files.wordpress.com/2012/11/bellas-home.jpg)

Liz stops the car and looks over at the new resident of Moutin Plantation.  She comments, “I guess you were expecting a really run down house?”

Bella nods as she exits the vehicle.

Liz smiles and gets out, telling her, “All Council Members homes are taken care of.  Even if the current owners are deceased or not here.  It all comes from the Council funds.  You have no idea how much the Council is happy you are here.”

Turning, Bella questions, “The Council?”

Liz sighs, and tells her, “We will get more on that when you are here to stay.  It’s part of your birthright as a descendant of the Moutins.  From what we can gather you and your father are the last ones.”

Bella sighs and puts it aside.  She doesn’t need to worry on something she wasn’t going to be able to do anything about at this time.  She follows Liz into the house. She notices a raven sitting in a tree watching her avidly.

Liz turns to her and asks, “Will you be taking over the up keeping of the home?”

Bella arches an eyebrow at her.

Looking around the entrance of the home, Liz explains, “I was just asking, if you are then I can give you the keys now, if not, I will need to make a set for the Council.”

Bella is making notes on the entry way of the changes she is wanting to make.  She tells her, “Since I will be updating the house, I will be needing the keys.”  And that is it.

[ ](http://kittyinaz.files.wordpress.com/2012/11/leighton-meester-28.jpg)

Liz frowns as her eyes follow the young woman in front of her.  She is slight, but her face and hair make an impression.  Her face is heart shaped, with her lips slightly too big.  But her hair, which is streaked with a blondish brown highlights, when hit with the sun, the natural red came out making for a unique look.

Her t-shirt and jeans with boots and leather jacket are common enough.  But her movement and bearing are another odd thing.  She holds herself with an unknown elegance that you see is old movies with the glamorous actresses.  A grace that is of a bygone era that is not known in a time that slouching is the norm.  All in all, Bella wouldn’t look odd if she somehow got placed back in the 1800’s.

Bella is moving through the house, making notes in her mind of what she will need.  The kitchen will need to be replaced completely.  But most of the bottom floor would only be updated.  She decides she loves the old world charm, but she wants her own mark on her house.  She walks into the library and nods, noting that the room will work for her office.

She turns and makes her way upstairs.  As she walks around, she notes that she will redo the master bedroom since it is completely masculine.  And that while she is at it, she is going to combine it with another room to make it a full suite.  Why not?  She is the only one that is living here.

As Bella makes her way back down, she watches as Liz fidgets in the foyer.

Liz looks up and has a moment, completely able to see Bella coming down in a full dress as though she is receiving her as the grand ladies did during the Civil War.  She blinks and sees the current Bella.  She smiles, and asks, “Do you need to come back tomorrow to make notes of the changes?”

Shaking her head, Bella tells her with a slight smile, “No, I know what I need done.  If you wouldn’t mind returning me to the airport, I will contact the contractors and get it handled.”

Shocked, Liz raises an eyebrow.  “You want to head back to the airport tonight?”

Looking around, Bella nods.  “The sooner I can get back, the sooner I can get started.”

Liz just shakes her head and heads back to her car.  When Bella is inside, Liz hands her the keys.  Bella smiles, and then looks out the window.  She can still see the raven that was there before.  He is still watching her.

Liz stares at her then starts the car heading back to the airport as requested.  She smirks as she thinks, ‘ _Wait until Damon meets her.  I think he will actually meet his match.’_

* * *

Once Bella is home, she quickly calls the contractor she had found along with the interior designer and made appointments for the both of them next week.  Before she had left, she had given one of the extra keys she had made to Liz when the sheriff offered to let anyone in for her.

The interior decorator listens to what she wants and promises to go over and take pictures of the interiors.  The Contractor will go ahead and rip apart the kitchen and the two rooms she had designated for the master suite.  She has told him she is looking for a full suite including the closet so if he thinks another room will be used, to go ahead and do it.

Bella gets off the phone and turns to her computer.  She is done with her schoolwork and for all intents and purposes can graduate now.  But she knows her father would appreciate her walking to get her diploma. Well, she hopes he will.  Lately it seems he is getting distant, but she has told herself it is due to having a new family.

Her mother and Phil had died a year after her books had gone on the best seller list.  She had tried to make sure it was nothing supernatural, but the coroners had cremated the bodies without an autopsy.

The only family she has left is her father, and she will do all she can to make sure the man who completely supported her and her decisions is happy.  He has done much to help her, and been there whenever she had been frustrated with school.  No matter what the issue is now, she just can’t give up the hope that one person loves her in this world.

She went on to check her balances, her fail safes, programs and to make sure everything is as she wishes.

Bella’s head snaps up when she has a knock on her apartment door.  Frowning, she goes and checks the peephole.  Seeing the man in brown, she opens the door.

The man smiles and asks her, “Bella Swan?”

When she nods, he hands her a package and his pad to sign for it.  She frowns and signs her name negligently.  She tells him, “Thank you,” as she tucks a strand of hair behind her ear.  She fails, as normal, to see the glance of lust the man sends her way as he leaves.

She shuts the door, reaching for a letter opener.  She has no idea who Isobel Fleming is and why she would be sending her such a heavy box.

She sits the box on the living room table and opens it.  It is full of research papers and books.  She finds a letter addressed to her.

_Isabella,_

_I hope this finds you still at Dartmouth.  I had heard you are going to be moving to the Moutin Plantation and wanted to send you this information.  I think it would be greatly helpful to you in your new home.  But then you are not a stranger to the oddities of our world are you?_

_Respectfully Yours,_

_Isobel Fleming_

Bella frowns as she looks through the information.  It seems to be about vampires, but not any that she is familiar with.  She sighs, then puts the box over with a stack of research material she has already packed to clear up space.  She will look at it when she is settled into her new home.  She has tons of stuff from her agent from people sending her information from her book.

With that Bella gets up and goes back to what she was working on before.  She has a lot of things to go over with the interior designer and contractor.

* * *

**Final count, 2,440 words.**

**Fairfarren~Wendy**


	3. Getting Back What I Gave

 

# Getting Back What I Gave

**[ ](http://kittyinaz.files.wordpress.com/2012/11/1095.jpg) **

**Disclosure:  Twilight and Vampire Diaries are owned by their respective brainiacs that thought of it.  I just play with the characters to my heart’s content.**

**Pre Edit Count -   2,326 Words**

_Song I listened to for this chapter: Blackbirds (Non-Album Track from 8-bit Rebellion! App)_ by Linkin Park.

 

* * *

_Previous:_

_She sits the box on the living room table and opens it.  It is full of research papers and books.  She finds a letter addressed to her._

**_Isabella,_ **

**_I hope this finds you still at Dartmouth.  I had heard you are going to be moving to the Moutin Plantation and wanted to send you this information.  I think it would be greatly helpful to you in your new home.  But then you are not a stranger to the oddities of our world are you?_ **

**_Respectfully Yours,_ **

**_Isobel Fleming_ **

_Bella frowns as she looks through the information.  It seems to be about vampires, but not any that she is familiar with.  She sighs, then puts the box over with a stack of research material she has already packed to clear up space.  She will look at it when she is settled into her new home.  She has tons of stuff from her agent from people sending her information from her book._

_With that Bella gets up and goes back to what she was working on before.  She has a lot of things to go over with the Interior Designer and Contractor._

_Now:_

 

* * *

Bella is standing in her new home.  She nods as one of the movers comes through with some boxes for her library.

She smiles as she moves out of the way, walking through the home.  She had spent a lot of time and care to pick out everything here.  The Kitchen and the Master Suite are her actual creations.  Who knew she could design better than an Interior Decorator?

They had ended up redoing a lot in the house, the walls had been original from the time the plantation house had been built, but most of them had some type of mold in them.  Since she was having to redo the walls, she had them replace the wiring, and adding internet and speakers in discrete places as well as other updates to make the house more energy efficient.  She works to music and this way the music will follow her through the house, turning off and on where she is.  And if she had a party she could command the house to have sound everywhere.  It is one of her favorite upgrades in the house.  She did a lot to music.

The entire house is controlled by her voice.  She had grinned the entire time when she had worked out the programming and everything needed to get it working, even the headaches doing it were well worth them.  She has a house that would turn on the bathtub, or start a fire in another room.  The windows and doors are not connected to the system, she has seen enough horror movies about that.  Every system can be hacked into.  She just made it as difficult as she could to do, but that is why her computer that has all her research is not connected to the internet, all the updates are applied through thumb drives and only after she has inspected the coding to make sure it is what it is promised to be and is as protected as she can make it.  She did not need anyone knowing all of her information that is on that computer, it could get her killed.  And though some might call her overzealous in protecting herself, she is still alive, and as far as she can determine, not on any lists for watching.

 

[ ](http://kittyinaz.files.wordpress.com/2012/11/wooden-rustic-kitchen-style.jpg)

Bella walks into her kitchen and grins at it.  She had wanted a rustic kitchen, to get back to her Gran’s roots.  This kitchen has it all. But the feature she loves the most?  It was the tree trunk in the island with the branches reaching out across her ceiling.  It is unique and makes her kitchen design original.  And she loves this design.  It also has an entry way into another part of the kitchen she had designed for the pantry.

 

[ ](http://kittyinaz.files.wordpress.com/2012/11/italian-kitchen-cabinet-design-rustic-550x366.jpg)

The glass door leads to the backyard that she had them redesign to her specifications, and more importantly to her new outside room for her to enjoy the beauty of the Virginia landscape.  The original gardens are all still there, but again, she went with a more Italian touch with it and added some features to enhance her vision of the outside.  She wants to be able to enjoy the seasons outdoors, and redesigning the back of the house has allowed her to keep the traditional look of the front, but add the things she had wanted in her dream home.  While she never thought Virginia would be a haven for her, this house has become exactly that.

 

[ ](http://kittyinaz.files.wordpress.com/2012/11/modish_design_rustic_style_doning_table_and_chairs.jpg)

She has also kept all the secrets of the house.  The contractor had been an honorable man and as soon as he realized the house had secret rooms and hallways, he had asked her about them.   She had asked to keep them and if there was a way to update them too without too many knowing about it.  The contractor brought some of his men from New Hampshire to work on it.  While some may know about it, no one local had any idea.  It was all done in secret.

The only reason she had agreed to keep it secret was what the man told her.  It was always safer to have more options than people thought you had.  He had worked on one room himself.  He had added to it, not taking anything from it since the owner had seemed paranoid enough for a hundred people.  The walls had been stouter than anything in the entire house and had been infused with some type of oil.  He had only made it a more modern version of the room, making a real safe room for the lady he worked for.  He didn’t tell her he left the walls, just told her he had made sure the room was updated.  He had been greatly impressed with her and could tell that she admired the home, and is adding things to make it hers, but a lot of it remained much the same design as when first started.  There was no obvious changes to what they did, but the home is now on par with any newly built home, if not better.

He also didn’t mention the Raven that seems to always be around.  Because of his feelings, he had the contractors block all the windows in the house.  He also made sure all the men consumed an herb that his grandmother had insisted he drink all the time.  She had old world roots and always encouraged him to act on his feelings.  He had made his fortune doing so, and this time, didn’t hesitate to follow through on them.

Shaking her head to dispel the thoughts, Bella smiles and moves through the house to her other oasis.  Her Bedroom.  She had all the furniture for the house delivered already and set up, and all she is moving in today is the personal items from her storage and her apartment.  The furniture from the apartment had been donated to charities, all bought when she had been a struggling student.

 

 [](http://kittyinaz.files.wordpress.com/2012/11/brown-master-bedroom-ideas.jpg)

Her bedroom has all the boxes in it for the room and she goes to it humming as she put the clothes away.  She is looking around her room as she ruminates on the changes and why she made them. She loves the fireplaces in the house throughout, making sure that her bedroom and the library are on the receiving end.  No matter how much the people installing the specialized bookcases in the library had argued against it.  She had installed the necessary protections, and for the rest, they can bite her.  She wishes to be comfortable and is eagerly awaiting her first days of fall with the leaves changing then watching the snow fall as she sits either in bed or downstairs in the library in the chairs she made sure had been comfortable.  There is a lot to say for working for herself.

She frowns as she ponders the information Liz had supplied.  Her ancestor had left a fortune for whomever claims the house but made it a clause of the will that only when someone willingly moves in can they access it.  With the money she has made along with this, she has no reason to ever work.

She had tried to send some of it to her father, but he had told her to keep it.  He needed nothing and everything is paid off.  If she will buy him some fishing gear when he asks for it that is all he needs along with the assurance that his little girl is completely taken care of no matter what happens.

By this time Bella can feel him pulling more and more away. It had prompted her to ask him bluntly if he knew something she didn’t and he had told her that he wanted her happy.  If she became immortal, then she did.  It did not bother him and he trusts her to make the right decision.  He only wants her happy and he kept telling her this during the phone call.  She had gotten off the phone feeling odd, but somehow, settled, as if they had said their final goodbyes.

Trying to get her mind off of it, Bella calls out, “Play Linkin Park.”  And cannot help but grin like a little girl as the music comes out.  She hums along with the music as she moves around in the room.

Outside the room, a black raven watches her, settling into the tree for a long period of gathering intelligence about the newest member of Mystic Falls…and wonders why he has been almost compelled to watch over her.

 

* * *

When the movers had knocked on her door to tell her they are finished, she had paid them and happily moved through the house as the music follows her.  She is by herself and it allows her to be carefree and happy as she once was.  Before too many lies had interfered with her life and irrevocably change it.

She heads next to her Library to unpack.  She had finished in the bedroom and wandered into the bathroom putting away the towels she had washed the day before.  While she had waited for all the furniture to be delivered, she had grinned at her well thought out plan that had the appliances delivered the day before, the ones like the washer and dryer as well as some others.  The TV’s and kitchen appliances had been already installed by her contractor, the kitchen being mostly built in.  So she had washed the towels and things she had bought for the house, while waiting for the furniture to be delivered by all the different places she had found them.

She hums along with Blackbirds as she opens the boxes and starts to arrange them around the desk she has in the Library.  She has kept the heavy old desk that has been in here since it was originally built, according to the pictures the contractor had found in the secret room.   She has framed them and added the pics to the library to give it more of a feel for the history of the house.   A lot of the house has the original furniture, however comfort won out against antiques when it came down to it.  This has been one piece she had been happy to keep since she thought she would need to have one built to her standards.

As she puts the materials away, she thinks back to the odd package she had received when she had come back from her inspection of this house.  She is not sure if she will put it away yet, and then decides that she will leave that box last, so that she can go ahead and set it up on her computer when she is done with the house. A project to get her started in the new place.

After awhile, she decides to go to town and eat at the restaurant that she was been informed about by Liz when they were driving back to the airport.  After making sure she isn’t covered in dust, she heads out to her new SUV.

 

[ ](http://kittyinaz.files.wordpress.com/2012/11/new-2011-porsche-cayenne-suv.jpg)

She had bought the Porsche only after her father had insisted on it for the snow. It had been one of the few times he had talked to her after the strange feeling of being told goodbye.  She had laughed, and when she had reminded him about old Betsy, but he wouldn’t relent on his strange insistence.  She did as he requested, and now she is thrilled with it.  But nothing could compare to her Corvette Stingray.   She loves it, and it is being delivered tomorrow.

She heads into town, not noticing the raven flying alongside with her as she heads into town.

 

* * *

[ ](http://kittyinaz.files.wordpress.com/2012/11/mystic-grill.jpg)

At the Grill, Bella parks her vehicle and heads inside, hesitating for a second, her eyes having found a loving couple in a booth.  She sighs, remembering that it had once been her as one half of that couple and heads to the bar.  She sits by herself, and once the bartender comes over, she asks for “Whiskey, Black label neat, please.”  She also orders a burger with it.

She is watching in the mirror the bar behind her as her mind catalogs all the people and where they are.  Ever since she took the gymnastics and self-defense classes then taking Aikido and having worked her way through Aiki-Budo, Yosekan and Yoshinkan she has been more vigilant about her surroundings.  They had improved her balance and helped make her mind sharper.  This had all been used to increase her mental abilities since her sensei had decided that this will be important to her longevity.  He had caught on to her interests, and tailored her lessons to help her, while never telling her more than if she needed his help, all she had to do is ask.

 

[ ](http://kittyinaz.files.wordpress.com/2012/11/damon-3.jpg)

So it is extremely odd she never noticed the man sitting next to her until he comments in a silky baritone that caresses her ears, “I have never seen you here before.”

Bella’s eyes snap to his ice blue ones in the mirror as she comments, “And how often has that pick up line worked for you?”

He grins as he answers her, “It works well as an ice breaker.”

He has black hair and a strong jaw that just tempts her to want to kiss along it.  But she fights her attraction down as she notices his cocky attitude. Arching her eyebrow at him, “I suppose it does, and shows how needy you are.”

His eyes narrow in the mirror at her as he replies, “Ouch.  That is kinda cold to say to someone who you just met. Isn’t it?”

They are interrupted by the bartender delivering her drink and placing a bourbon in front of the man. She smiles, always remembering her father as he introduced her to this drink even though he prefers his Vitamin R’s.  No matter the situation between them, she treasures memories like this and tries to give a moment to the memory of these moments for the rest of her life.

The man beside her stares as she smiles to herself.  He has been following her all day and has found out nothing more than she loves her house and that she likes Linkin Park.  He had hoped that starting a conversation would open her up.

So far, he has found her to be snarky.  Something he personally was attracted to.  Strongly.

He looks at her, taking in the whole picture.  She is gorgeous, and she didn’t know it.  She is not vain, but she dresses and acts as though she is unimportant.  However, she is sure of _who_ she is.   And that is also huge turn on for him.  He is getting tired of the women who fell at his feet.

All this passed in the time it takes for her to take a swallow.

She smiles at the bartender as he delivers her food, and refills her drink for her.  She hands him cash, telling him to keep the change as she grabs her food and drink and moves from the bar to a table.

She had just sat down and then sighs. “Are you going to follow me everywhere?”

The man smirks.  “I never got your name.  Makes a man curious.  Let’s do an exchange.  My name is Damon.” He raises an eyebrow in question to her, really wanting to get her to tell him her name.

Without missing a beat, Bella replies.  “That’s nice.   Now go away.  Find some frat sorority girl and pull your stunts with them.”

He cannot help the laugh. “Snarky aren’t you?” With that he pulls out a seat and drops himself in it.  “What’s in a name?” He inquires as he watches her, his bourbon in his other hand.

She bit into her sandwich and when she is done, she continues to eat sipping her whiskey, blatantly ignoring the handsome man in front of her. She fell for one man’s charms once, and has paid for it since then.  She is not eager to make that mistake again.

Damon does nothing but drink his bourbon as he watches her.  He admits to himself he is impressed.  Not many humans can ignore him.

Bella finishes her food, wipes her mouth with her napkin and knocks back the last of the whiskey.  She stands to leave, only to find herself blocked by the black leather coated man.  She sighs as she comments, “What part of me ignoring you, did you not understand?”

Damon reaches out and lifts her head to his, his eyes focusing intently on hers as he tries to compel her, “You will tell me your name.” He needs to be done with this.  He has many other things demanding his attention, than a stranger who has entered town while they are frantically trying to find answers.  Their trip to Duke had left them empty handed and him shot for his efforts.  They need more answers, and instead he is spending vital time, trying to find out about this beautiful woman in front of him.

Rolling her eyes, she counters back to him, “Someone who doesn’t care or give a shit what you want.  Now get out of my way.”  With that she shoves him aside and makes her way out of the Grill.

Damon watches her leave with narrowed eyes.  He feels his brother next to him, then asking him, “Who was that and how did she resist the compel?” Stefan has seen Damon compel and has never seen someone resist it without vervain in them.  The woman who just did, did it with no indication of it even taking hold for a second nor has an after scent of vervain on her.

Damon shakes his head as he comments back, “I have no idea, but I will tell you, I will find out.”  He smirks as he mutters, “Game on.”

 

* * *

**Final count, 3,219 words.**

**Fairfarren~Wendy**


	4. Once Upon a Time

# Once Upon a Time

 

**[ ](http://kittyinaz.wordpress.com/twilightvampire-diaries/youre-all-i-am-asking-for/chapter-3-once-upon-a-time/waterfall/) **

**Pre Edit Count -   2,785 Words**

_Song I listened to for this chapter: Whataya Want From Me_ by Adam Lambert.

* * *

_Previous:_

_Bella finishes her food, wipes her mouth with her napkin and knocks back the last of the whiskey.  She stands to leave, only to find herself blocked by the black leather coated man.  She sighs as she comments, “What part of me ignoring you, did you not understand?”_

_Damon reaches out and lifts her head to his, his eyes focusing intently on hers as he tries to compel her, “You will tell me your name.” He needs to be done with this.  He has many other things demanding his attention, than a stranger who has entered town while they are frantically trying to find answers.  Their trip to Duke had left them empty handed and him shot for his efforts.  They need more answers, and instead he is spending vital time, trying to find out about this beautiful woman in front of him._

_Rolling her eyes, she counters back to him, “Someone who doesn’t care or give a shit what you want.  Now get out of my way.”  With that she shoves him aside and makes her way out of the Grill._

_Damon watches her leave with narrowed eyes.  He feels his brother next to him, then asking him, “Who was that and how did she resist the compel?” Stefan has seen Damon compel and has never seen someone resist it without vervain in them.  The woman who just did, did it with no indication of it even taking hold for a second nor has an after scent of vervain on her._

_Damon shakes his head as he comments back, “I have no idea, but I will tell you, I will find out.”  He smirks as he mutters, “Game on.”_

_Now:_

* * *

Bella had made it home, still shaking her head at the odd encounter she had at the Grill.  The man had been attractive enough, but his odd actions in getting her name had put her off slightly.  Plus she had an odd vibe with him, which she didn’t know what it meant.  She wanted to give him more of a chance, and it felt like something inside her was…encouraging her to.  But her head won as it normally does and she dismisses the thoughts for another day.

She walked in the door, walked over to the security system and locked down the house.  She smiles, because while it may seem as overkill to make the whole house basically a fortress at night, she also did not have to worry about being waken in the morning with the sun.  It’s the little things in life that she has learned to appreciate.

She makes her way to the Library, tossing her jacket on a chair as she gathers the last box, full of the odd information Isobel Fleming had sent her.

Bella had done some research on the woman after receiving the box.  She had found that she had been thought of as the paramount researcher in the occult and supernatural and had been a professor at Duke.  She had many people who had praised her work and called it revolutionary and ground breaking.  Bella had looked through the information and had been skeptical.  The vampires mentioned by her had nothing to do with her vampires.  They were not sparkly in the sun, it in fact killed them and they had fangs.  After that she had decided to look through the information at another time.  She also remembers there being a book on the Sun and Moon curse that she had debunked before and wanted to see what version this one had.

The only other piece of information that had caught her attention is that she thought she had seen the town in one of the pages she had paged through.  With that in mind, she had decided to go through it when she got here.  Now was as good as any to do it.  She is in between research projects, wanting to familiarize herself with the plethora of information that was in her new library.

With that, she pulled the box to her, and started to pull out the items in it.  After a while, she was surprised with all the information that is in the box.  There are some really rare books in the box.  She had also requested when she had the house done that someone go through the library and catalog the books in it.  She had been surprised at the amount of what is generally considered occult and supernatural in the library, along with the many journals that seem to date back to when the town had been formed.  However these books had been on the list for her associates to pick up for her if they ever come across it.  The same group of people had their own lists.  If one of them had it, or it came into their possession, they could either lend it out or gift it.

To be as organized as she normally is, she pulled up the database she kept on her personal computer and started to catalog the books and information she had received in the box. She also has her laptop up and putting information in that database that is more sensitive in nature. This ends up taking a few hours as she notices that unlike her, Isobel made notes in the books.  Oh, she had used post-its and such, but there is a lot of times that the woman had just highlighted areas and made notes in the books themselves.

Bella shakes her head at the desecration of the books, but notes all the remarks Isobel made.  She frowns when she realizes that while a lot of the information is not spelled out like the reference that had stuck in her head, a lot of the notes in the books had to do with the town she now lived in.

_There is record of the Town being older than people first realize.  In fact the so called founding families, are not **The** founding family.  Most of them are ancestors of them. Why are they attracted to this town?_

And another one noted in the same book,

_So many deaths have been accounted to been caused by animal attacks.  But a lot of the descriptions that are given before the coroner declares it an animal attack are similar.  See notes for Southern Territories._

Reading through the thoughts of the woman made Bella aware that she thought a lot like Bella did.  But what caused this woman to research this?  And with the knowledge that even Bella has, things are not adding up.  Southern Territories??  How in the world did the woman know of those??  She had only found out about them in Jasper’s personal journals!

Bella sighs, putting the book down, rubs her eyes.  She glances up and noticing it well past midnight, decides that she needs to put it aside and she will work on it some more in the morning.  She tidies up the research and puts her laptop in its new hidey spot.

With a glance around, she nods and makes her way to her room.  As she gets ready for bed, she can’t help the grin on her face.  The feeling of being on her own and not worrying about the Cullens, the Pack or anything supernatural actually happening to her, made her feel as though a weight has been lifted from her.

* * *

[ ](http://kittyinaz.wordpress.com/twilightvampire-diaries/youre-all-i-am-asking-for/chapter-2-getting-back-what-i-gave/master-bathroom-with-ceramic-wall-design/)

The next morning, Bella wakes early, her dreams of a certain black haired blue eyed devil.  She yawns, dismissing the dreams, and making her way into the bathroom, she gets ready for the day.  It is a habit she got into, since if she didn’t, she would wrap herself up in research and it would take weeks sometimes before she surfaces, and normally only because either she ran out of food, or her father calls her.

So she has gotten in the habit of getting ready each day to give herself a break, to make an actual pause in time since she could go from sleeping on the desk to working and never move from it unless a run to the bathroom.  And that break never really made a dent in her thinking to make it feel like a break.  As she makes her way downstairs, she takes the house from its lock down and heads into the kitchen to make herself breakfast.  She decides that since it looks so pretty outside, she will enjoy the morning in her outdoor room.  She takes her bowl of cereal outside and sits there, eating as she watches the birds and trees. Relaxing into the day and the scents of her new home, the sounds of the creek while the wind stirs the leaves on the trees around her.  She finishes and her head leans back, just listening to the peace surrounding her, appreciating it in a manner most of her age never learns to do anymore.

[ ](http://kittyinaz.wordpress.com/twilightvampire-diaries/youre-all-i-am-asking-for/chapter-3-once-upon-a-time/raven-on-the-ground/)

At an off noise, Bella opens her brown eyes and tilts her head at a raven that is hopping on the ground, watching her as it makes its way closer to her.  It was acting odd for a raven, and she frowns as she tries to remember if Ravens ever have blue eyes when they are not white, but who knows, maybe someone in the gardening crew had made a pet of it.

She makes note of it and will buy it some food, but for now, the call of her research is getting too powerful.  She calls out to the Raven, as she gathers her breakfast dish and stands up, “Sorry, buddy, I have some interesting papers to go read through from a stranger that seemed really interested in this town of ours.” Chuckling at herself for talking to a bird, she heads back inside.  She cleans out her bowl, places in the dishwasher before grabbing herself a bottle of water as she makes her way back to the library.

Bella moves to the hidey place, gets out her computer, and proceeds to catalog the information as she works through it. Methodical as she goes, cross referencing when something tugs in her head, tryingot make the puzzle pieces fit.

The library is one of the few rooms in the house that has curtains that blocks the sun, as well as the windows themselves being specially treated.  Bella, after finding out the age of the books in her library, had taken the time and money to make sure nothing in the Library will be damaged by the sun nor the corrosive air itself for those that needed the special handling.  She had in fact installed hermetically sealed bookshelves for the really rare and old books.

[ ](http://kittyinaz.files.wordpress.com/2012/12/leighton-meester-32.jpg)

After a few hours Bella gets up and paces, her thoughts coming to an ending she is fighting the results to.  She frowns back at the books and thinks.  The books and research that Isobel had sent to her indicates that there are other things than what she had thought there were even in her expanded world.

She had researched from what the Cullens had told her when she had been a part of the coven, then cross referenced the research she had done in Jasper’s and Carlisle’s libraries back in Forks that there are real werewolves.  Carlisle had noted in one of his journals that La Push tribe are Shifters.  He had heard of other shifters being out there, that can change into different types of animals, but this had been the first time he had actually seen it with his own eyes.

However, some people called Caius and Marcus had gone on a rampage after Marcus’s sister had been killed by the Children of the Moon.  That had been her hint that werewolves are real.

[ ](http://kittyinaz.wordpress.com/twilightvampire-diaries/youre-all-i-am-asking-for/chapter-3-once-upon-a-time/aztec_shaman/)

These books, however, talked about the Sun and the Moon curse in more detail, as though it was real.  Bella had come across it before, but had thought it pure myth, or something, she had used her skills to find other myths that held a doppelgänger to ‘release’ the curse and used them to debunk this one.

In addition, the sun doesn’t kill vampires, it exposes them.

These books and all of Isobel’s research said the vampires of myth are real.  So real that from what these books are telling her that they are from this town back before this continent was ‘found.’  That they had been made because of a witch wanting to keep her family safe from the Children of the Moon that were here.  Supposedly they had killed one of her sons.

[ ](http://kittyinaz.wordpress.com/twilightvampire-diaries/youre-all-i-am-asking-for/chapter-3-once-upon-a-time/elijah_mikaelson-antihero/)

Then came the research that told her that she is supposedly related to these first vampires.  Her family and most of the Founding Families are in fact supposed to be all related back to them.  But her line is closer than the most.  Theirs is a direct line that had come from an Elijah Mickealson.  Supposedly he had been in love with a woman who had been in the village that predated Mystic Falls.  It was a secret affair, but she had twins, a boy and a girl.

The girl had married into the Moutin family, the son had taken his mother’s maiden name, Lebădă.  Or Swan as it is translated into English.  Isobel had traced both lines and had ended it with her.  Somewhere, somehow, her mother Renee was also a descendant.  Isobel had gotten her DNA back from an inquiry in a national database her Mom had volunteered for.  Bella even remembered her talking about it with her on the phone, trying to get her to donate blood.  Since she had been bitten before that, she had refused.

Bella paced, trying to get her mind around this.  The time between the twins was in centuries, if not millenniums  so that did not bother her, but that both lines had rejoined in her, through both her parents is just mind boggling.  How could her mother be so distantly related to them, according to Isobel, that she had questioned it and why she couldn’t find any references to Bella’s blood anywhere to substantiate her findings that Bella herself would contain the genetic markers to the Original Family as she names them in the books.

She huffs, and as normal when she finds herself in a spot that she needs some time to regurgitate what she has learned, she put everything in order, the laptop away, and leaves to make a list of grocery items. From there she headed into town, her mind on her trip, letting the rest of it all sit in the back of her mind, a habit she had found that resulted in her understanding more.

Again, she didn’t see the Raven who had watched every movement she made, then flew off as soon as it was sure it knew where she will be.

* * *

She pulls in and parks.  Grabbing a cart, she makes her way to the fresh foods, taking note of the people around her automatically, but not really paying attention, her mind on her grocery shopping and how much she thinks she will enjoy living here.

While she is checking the ripeness of the cantaloupe, she hears a familiar voice, “Well, well.  If it isn’t the new stranger in town.  Now, I didn’t think that sniffing the melon really works, you know.”

[ ](http://kittyinaz.wordpress.com/twilightvampire-diaries/youre-all-i-am-asking-for/chapter-3-once-upon-a-time/damon-7/)

She turns her head and takes in Damon.  She can’t help but smile at him, his eyes showing his mischievousness. “Well, if it isn’t, Mr. I-Can’t-Take-A-Hint. Fancy you doing something mundane as shopping.”

Damon smirks. “Well, you have to go shopping in order to have food.  And it happens to be grocery day for the Salvatores.  What is your excuse?”  He is picking out tomatoes, checking for ripeness.  He is determined to get her name if nothing else.  Well, that and enjoy some witty conversation… He has so little left to entertain him anymore after he realized that Elena was not the one for him.  Though he does believe that there is someone that is better than his brother for her.  Elena is not as fun loving as she has been in the past per Barbie.

Looking down and putting the cantaloupe in the basket, Bella shakes her head.  She comments, “Well, as you said, new stranger in town.  I need groceries if I am not going to eat at the one restaurant in town.”  She checks off her list on her phone, then reaches for another bag, and starts picking out tomatoes.  She had decided that since she had plenty of time, some homemade sauce would be great to make and can.  Making a little or a lot doesn’t make a lot of difference in time now.  But if she gets lost in research, she will appreciate having healthier meals around.

His mind busy as he tries to analyze the woman in front of him, and why he is so damn attracted to her, Damon watches her, then plucks a tomato out of her hand and replaces it, then starts handing her more until her bag is full. “There are other restaurants in town, the Grill is just the most popular.”

Shaking her head at his audacity, Bella closes the bag and puts it in her cart.  She checks off that item, and heads for the next item on her list.  Luckily she inherited a robust herb garden with her other gardens.  So she won’t have to worry about buying any fresh herbs except for Parsley.  It wasn’t worth growing for as much as she uses.

She prefers to use fresh herbs whenever possible, and plans to start a small herb garden for the winter time.  Which is why she is preferring to make as many things as she can while it is still in season for the fresh produce.  One of her favorite treats is canned pears and apples.

Damon is watching her and cocks his head to the side, “Are you planning on having a party?  If so, I am insulted you have not invited one of the few people, if not the only person, you have met.”

Laughing, Bella looks up at him. “You sure are conceited aren’t you?”  She is ignoring the slight pull she feels towards him, never realizing that because of it, she is talking to him more than she normally would.  She had just got out of College.  Turning guys down like Damon is second nature.  She has no want to be a notch in someone’s bed post.

Acting innocent, Damon tells her, “Me?  Nah.  You are only conceited if you are the only one to believe in your awesomeness.  I am awesome in every way, so there is nothing conceited about it.” He grabs his basket moving beside and smiles charmingly down at her, his eyes twinkling with mischief.

Shaking her head at him, she moves her cart out of his way and continues on to the butcher.  She finds out soon enough though, that Damon is following her when she hears, “So, what is up with the large amounts of food?”

She gives her order to the butcher for the cuts of meat she is needing, secretly enjoying the fact she can have them do special requests like grind the chicken breasts for her.  Bella then turns her attention back to her new personal stalker. “Wow.  Been in town for three days, and I already have a stalker.  I think you have set a new record.”

Damon smirks at her, “And you have had a stalker in the past for me to be able to set a new record?”

[ ](http://kittyinaz.files.wordpress.com/2013/04/edward-bella-sleep-1.jpg)

Bella’s face freezes for a second, Edward’s face and him being in her bedroom at night flashing through her mind.

Watching her face, he sees the raw look of misery and…anger on her face, and he hastily replies, “Sorry, I was just excited to know I am memorable to you in some way.”  He didn’t like that look, and wants it gone.  It doesn’t belong on her beautiful face.  He will kill whomever put it there, whatever memory caused it.

Damon doesn’t even question the feelings of…possesivness or protectiveness he is feeling.  Making one of his famous snap decisions, she is now under his protection…and his.

Hearing the butcher behind her calling her name, Bella snaps out of it, and turns to grab the meat she had requested, she hastily tells Damon, “It’s nothing.”  No more will Edward Cullen bring her down.  She had decided that before and yet…here she is with him in her memory from a casual comment.

Sighing, Damon steps in front of her, his eyes bearing into hers.  He knows he can’t compel her, but it is as if she is compelling him.  He smiles, and asks, “Can we start over?  I would really like to know you.  There is not many people around here who can outsnark me.  It’s…refreshing.”

Staring into his ice blue eyes, Bella hesitates.  “I…sorry.  It’s not you, it’s me and that hullabub.  I have had some bad experiences with men, so I tend to push them away.  Or at least that is what the therapist that my dad sent me to said.  I call self-defense.”

Damon laughs.  “I will try not to be one of your bad experiences.  It’s just…you’re new.  And like I said, you interest me.” He is watching her, making note of the little nuances now that he has decided what he wishes of her.  She is different, so he can’t act like he normally does.  He needs to use the brain he has.

Looking off in the distance, Bella sighs, making a decision.  “Bella.” In for a penny, in for a pound…

His eyes snapping to hers, he breathes, “That you are.”

She laughs.  “No, silly.  That’s my name.  Isabella, better known as Bella. Don’t make me regret this, Damon.”  Bella is trying not to retort.  His answer she has heard before, many, many times, but never in that tone that he said it in.

Taking a step closer, he grins down at her, “This is the beginning of a beautiful relationship.”

She eyes him suspiciously, then asks, “You don’t love shopping do you?” Twice this man in front of her has made her think of the Cullens, and she is trying to figure out why.

His head lifts in shock, eyebrow lifts then asks with a look of shock in his face, “Doesn’t everyone?”

“No.”

He laughs, as he moves beside her as she continues to shop. “I thought that every woman does.  Even my brother’s girlfriend loves it.”

Rolling her eyes, Bella comments as she grabs more stuff and marks it off her list, “It’s a necessary evil.  Someone I knew loved it a little too much.”  Her eyes get that far away look as she comments softly, “She kinda made it where I hated it.” No matter what, she cannot forget being dragged from store to store, never allowed to make a decision of her own.  Stuffed into clothing she hated, colors because Edward liked them.  It was the last time she allowed anyone to come with her when she had to shop.  And she only does it when needed.

Damon stops and searches her face.  The pain in it reminded him of his own.  He remarks softly, “Well, maybe you just need a better partner.”  He bows slightly to her as he proposes, “I will gladly offer my humble opinion to you milady.”

Unable to help the peal of laughter, Bella looks at him.  “There is not a humble bone in your body, Damon.”

He smirks. “How you wound me, my Bella.”

She shakes her head, not catching his claim and heads off to finish her shopping.

Pleased at her not rebuking him for his claim, Damon watches after her, then calls out, “Bella?”

She turns her head to look over her shoulder at him, her eyebrow arched.

He smiles at her, “Thank you.” At her questioning look, he clarifies, “For giving me a chance.  You won’t regret it.”

Bella looks at him, telling him, “I hope not, for both our sakes.  See you later, Damon.  Since you seem to pop up wherever I am.”

He just grins at her as she walks away.  “Bella.” He softly says to himself.  Yes, he will make sure to meet up with her again.

* * *

**Final count, 4,086 words.**

**Fairfarren~Wendy**


	5. No, I’m Not Alright

# No, I’m Not Alright

**[ ](http://kittyinaz.files.wordpress.com/2012/12/214069_2270f556.jpg) **

**Disclosure:  Twilight and Vampire Diaries are owned by their respective braianics that thought of it.**

**Pre Edit Count -   3,299 Words**

_Song I listened to for this chapter: Thrive_ by Switchfoot.

* * *

_Previous:_

_Damon stops and searches her face.  The pain in it reminded him of his own.  He said softly, “Well, maybe you just need a better partner.”  He bows slightly to her as he tells her, “I will gladly offer my humble opinion to you milady.”_

_Unable to help the peal of laughter, Bella look at him.  “There is not a humble bone in your body, Damon.”_

_He smirks. “How you wound me, my Bella.”_

_She shakes her head and heads off to finish her shopping._

_Damon watches after her, then calls out, “Bella?”_

_She turns her head to look over her shoulder at him, her eyebrow arched._

_He smiles at her, “Thank you.” At her questioning look, he clarifies, “For giving me a chance.  You won’t regret it.”_

_Bella looks at him, telling him, “I hope not, for both our sakes.  See you later, Damon.  Since you seem to pop up wherever I am.”_

_He just grins at her as she walks away.  “Bella.” He softly says to himself.  Yes, he will make sure to meet up with her again._

_Now:_

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[ ](http://kittyinaz.wordpress.com/twilightvampire-diaries/youre-all-i-am-asking-for/chapter-4-no-im-not-alright/staples-office/)

On the way home, Bella had stopped to get herself a metal whiteboard.  She had also ordered herself a larger Whiteboard to make the notes she will be needing.  She wants to get to the bottom of the statement of founding families…

The man at the Staples promised that it will be delivered no later than tomorrow.  While she was there, she stocked up on erasable markers, magnets and post-it’s all different sizes.  The information that was beginning to percolate through her head was making itself known.  Frowning, she went back and upped the order to two of the larger white boards.

Her mind busy with the implications of what she had read in Isobel’s work, she never noticed the raven who had been perched on the wheelchair sign who watched over her.  She made it back to her SUV and placed the items in the back with the rest of her stuff.  She looks over everything and mutters to herself, “This is one of the few times I wish I had someone around to help.” Shaking her head, she got into her vehicle.

A short time later she is pulling into her new home.  She maneuvers her SUV around and when the garage door was open, she backed up into the space.  She is told her other vehicle won’t be here until Monday, there had been some unexpected delays.  She looks at the two empty bays and shrugs.  Who knows, maybe she will find another classic to restore.

While the doors close, she is out of the vehicle and moving the bags into the kitchen.  She puts them all away then goes off to grab the office supplies out of her SUV and deposits them into the Library.  She looks at the time and seeing it is 2 in the afternoon, decides to start to make the sauce for tonight.  She heads to the kitchen, and proceeds to start her pot of boiling water to remove the skins from the tomatoes.  While that is prepping, she grabs a basket and some shears as she heads into her backyard towards the herb garden.

[ ](http://kittyinaz.wordpress.com/twilightvampire-diaries/youre-all-i-am-asking-for/chapter-4-no-im-not-alright/varvain-garden/)

She is humming to herself as she walks in the sunlight, laughing lightly to herself when she sees wolfbane and vervain in her gardens all over the place. It wasn’t obvious to anyone, but if you know what you are looking for, you see them, and plenty of others that are associated with the supernatural world.  She shakes her head.

As for the effects of vervain, she figures it wouldn’t do her any good, since Edward, a mind reader could not get in her head, she doubts any other power can get in there.  In addition, she has meditated and worked on the power to her sensei’s suggestion, and has found meditation as a way to relax when she is stressed.  But she had pleased her sensei when he had found she got to the point she could be meditating if doing something that is a habit to her.   Such as cooking like she is planning today, or even gathering the herbs she needs.

[ ](http://kittyinaz.wordpress.com/twilightvampire-diaries/youre-all-i-am-asking-for/chapter-4-no-im-not-alright/bellas-flower-garden/)

She gets in the garden and start to pick what she needs for her meal tonight.  When she is finished, she moves over to the flowers and starts clipping some to bring with her into her home.  She is smiling and has no idea what a vision she makes kneeling in the garden with all the flowers around her.  No idea that she has a pair of eyes watching her intently, cocking it’s head to the side as it notices the view of her in the garden.

When she has gathered enough, she heads inside, working as her mind is busy cataloging the things she has learned.   However, she also notices that a certain pair of ice blue eyes seem to pop up often min her mind.  A sly smile grows on her face as she is cooking her onions for the base to her sauce.

Damon Salvatore.  What a unique person, to say the least.  Bella wonders where he will next pop up in her life.  He is persistent, but now that he got her name, would he continue?  Or would he abandon her now that his curiosity is sated?

Bella soon loses herself completely in the process of making her sauce as she works on a couple of side items.  She ends up making herself a chicken bolognaise sauce.  She has poured the rest of the marina she hadn’t used in canning jars and put them aside to seal themselves from the heat in the sauce.

During this process she hadn’t noticed the raven still sticking around and watching her through the windows.  It watches as she blew an annoying piece of hair out of her face as she works the eggs into the flour to make herself her own pasta.  It cocks its head to the side as it can make out the music playing in the house.

[ ](http://kittyinaz.wordpress.com/twilightvampire-diaries/youre-all-i-am-asking-for/chapter-4-no-im-not-alright/cullens-making-dinner/)

Humming to herself the song that has started to play, La Traviata, she sardonically smiles to herself as she remembers the first time she heard this.  It is the song that had played when she had first met the Cullens, as they had tried to make her an Italian meal in tribute to her name.  Edward had tried to tell them she wasn’t Italian, but then he had never known Gran Swan had in fact been as Italian as they come.

It had taken a lot of time for her to be able to think of them this way.  The ones that still pained her is Emmett, Alice and Edward.  Edward is mostly anger.  She has gotten over his rejection of her, and was told by the therapist her father had sent her to that it was healthy to be mad at the betrayal.  Over time, that anger has become an afterthought, but one that she knows will quickly escalate if she ever meets the virgin vampire again.

In fact, the only ones she did not place any blame on is Jasper and Rosalie.  It was not Jasper’s fault he was a vampire and reacted as one should to blood.  And Rose?  She had never warmed to Bella so there was no betrayal.

Huffing slightly at the way her thoughts had gone, she works to complete her meal.  By the time she has gotten close to finishing, she smiles wryly. Seems she has made a meal for more than her.  She leans back on the counter, then decides to be bold for once.

She heads to the library and once making sure everything is put away to any nosy eyes, she looks up a number online.  Smiling when she finds his, she picks up and makes a call. Time to act on the thoughts that she has been having going through her head.

* * *

[ ](http://kittyinaz.wordpress.com/twilightvampire-diaries/youre-all-i-am-asking-for/chapter-4-no-im-not-alright/damon-11/)

Fifteen minutes later, there is a knock on the door.  Bella makes her way to it and opens it.  Damon looks up at her, his eyes reflecting the smile on his face.  “So the old Moutin place huh?  Any relation of yours?” He is thrilled to be here, he had been connected to his familiar and had been jealous when he had seen her getting ready to call someone, then started out of his trance.

Bella laughs and she tells him, “My grandmother actually.  It seems my father and I are the last of the line, so the house came to us.”  For now, that is all he needs to know.

He grins, then asks, “May I come inside, milady?  You _did_  invite me over.” He holds out a bottle of wine to her. He needs the intent of allowing him to come in, and he never has wanted something so much before in his long life.

Staring up into those amazing eyes, she shakes her head.  With a slight bow, she steps away and tells him, “Please come in, Mr. Salvatore.”

He looks around and comments, “The place looks a lot better.” He is looking at all the changes.  To the human eye, you couldn’t tell the difference, but to his vampire eyes and nose, he can smell that the slight smell of rot is now gone.  The place feels and looks fresh, a way he has not seen since he was human attending a ball here.

Arching an eyebrow as she takes his jacket, “Have you been here before?”

Turning around to look at her, he tells her, “To be blunt, yes.  Moutins have always been involved with the council, and so have the Salvatores. I have been here in the past on Council business.” He can’t help but allow his eyes travel over her, wishing he could have her in his arms.  He has come to the decision earlier today, when he had got home, that he wants her.  She is always in his head, and he figures, either he can fight this, or give in and see where they can go from here.

Not really noticing his look, Bella frowns then comments, “I thought nobody has been here in years, except for those taking care of the house.” She is not sure how much she likes the idea of others having free access to the house and the books she has found in her library.

His eyes snapping to her chocolate ones, Damon smirks, “And how did you think the inside of the house stayed solvent after years of no one being inside?  We of the council come and check out the place every so often.” And go through the library here, the biggest one in Mystic Falls.  But he doesn’t want to scare her, not when they haven’t had her to a council meeting yet.

Bella starts walking towards the kitchen and Damon follows her.  He stops when he sees the newly remodeled Kitchen. “Wow.” His eyes takes in the changes and he is impressed.  He would love to work in this kitchen, noting the hearth fire that was fashioned to be more than just a fireplace in the kitchen.  He hasn’t seen one in so long he feels a bit nostalgic about it.

She gives him a grin and she grabs the pasta from the fridge and adds to the already boiling salted water. “Like?”  She is watching him out of the corner of her eye.

Damon gives her a look as he moves in and looks around.  “This is so…did you design this?” He notes the tree trunk in the middle and loves how the branches are even still there branching across the ceiling.  The whole effect is one he genuinely likes.

Looking directly at him from over her shoulder, she grins at the implied compliment.  “I did.  This and the master suite are my creations.  Also the backyard I changed up to suit me.  I never expected to have a house this young, nor the ability to make it suit me.  Since I did, I made sure this would be it for me.” She turns around and is watching the water and the noodles.  With fresh made noodles, sometimes the cooking time is less than she had been told.  Luckily her grandmother had told her and she knows to watch for the noodles to float before they sink.

She is occupied with making sure dinner will turn out right that she startles when Damon is right behind her and asks in her ear, “Anything I can help with?”

She looks over her shoulder to find him smiling gently at her. “No, unless you want to open the bottle to let it breathe?” She indicates with her head the decanter she had left out with the insert for the ice to chill it.

He nodded and with her instructions, soon has the bottle open, he swiftly pours the wine and adds the right amount of ice to the inside.  He turns around and seeing Bella ready to lift the pot to strain the water, moves over, grabbing some towels and gently takes out of her hands. He shudders slightly and notices she does to when their fingers touch from the electric that seemed to course though his body from the slight touch.  It makes him start thinking, trying to remember a description from long ago of these symptoms.

Her hand rubs her fingers, watching him, she doesn’t say anything as he drains the pasta and then adds it back to the pot, asking, “Butter?”

She shakes her head, “Nope, the sauce goes in and it cooks for a couple of minutes.” Her mind is busy.  The feeling from the light touch reminds her slightly of Edward, but even then she did not feel it from her head to her toes like this one.

He nods and adds the pasta to the sauce, stirring it in, then steals a taste. “Wow.  Where did you learn to cook?” He is watching her rub her fingers.

Her eyebrow raises, “You sound shocked.” Bella stares at him waiting for an answer, but the smile playing on her lips lets him know she is not offended.

He leans against the counter across from her, completely at ease in the kitchen and by her side. “Not too many know how to cook authentic Italian.  Myself being one of the few who do…”

Her smile gets bigger, “I am quite surprised, Damon.  I wouldn’t think you a cook, unless it is to impress someone.” She teases him, enjoying it.

Damon smirks at her, “You wound me, my Bella.  I have you know I learned to cook from family in Italy.” He smells the wine, then pours her a glass and hands it her. Hoping that their fingers may touch again, but slightly disappointed when she manages to take the glass without touching him.

She takes the wine and takes a sip.  “Well, I learned from my Gran.  She was as Italian as they come.”  Her smile fades a bit then she comments, “It was either learn or eat take out.  Let’s just say neither of my parents were cooks.” Her eyes dark as she remembers the past.

He watches her, wondering what thoughts are going through her head.  He finally asks, “Not that I am not happy to be here, but what lead to the invitation, Miss I-Don’t-Want-To-Give-My-Name?”

Acknowledging the barb, she tells him with a shrug, “I made too much.  And I thought, ‘Now, Bella, you have a new friend in this town, why now invite him over to get to know each other better?’” She smells the pasta dish, then turns back to it.

Damon smirks as he watches her stir the pasta watching it for something only she knows.  When she nods and turns, he is there handing her the dishes.  He helps her carry them and only cocks his head to the side as she heads outside.

[ ](http://kittyinaz.wordpress.com/twilightvampire-diaries/youre-all-i-am-asking-for/chapter-2-getting-back-what-i-gave/modish_design_rustic_style_doning_table_and_chairs/)

When he exits, he looks around at how old Country it seems with the fireplace and other changes she has made.  “Comfy.”

Smiling, she indicates the table and they both seat themselves across the table from each other and start eating. There is the awkward silence until they both take a bite.

From the first bite, Damon is entranced.  Then they start talking about small trivia, as though they both are not wanting to get into anything serious as they eat.  He admits to himself that he has not grinned or been this happy in years.  It is rare that he gets to spend time with a beautiful woman like Bella, and not be having sex.  But then, she is different.  She has a fire that most people don’t.  It’s like she has decided that she is never going to be a sheep in the herd and decided to make her own way.

Before long, the two are relaxed in each other’s presence, neither noting how odd that is, and finish their meals.  Damon follows her in, and helps her clean up.  He notices the jars on the counter and raising his brows, “You can?”  He has not seen anyone can for years.  He figures most people just freeze stuff and it is slowly becoming a lost art.

Bella is thinking how enjoyable dinner has been and looks up.  It takes a second to register what he asked and she answers him, “Yep.  My Gran taught me, since to make marinara sauce is easy to make in large batches, this saves time later on.”  She then looks sheepish. “I tend to loose myself when I am working.  Often, steps like this save me when I lift up for air and find I haven’t eaten in a couple of days.”

Damon’s eyebrows jump up, “Bella…I know I am kinda new at this friend thing, but that can’t be healthy.” And something he is going to have to figure out how to stop in the future.

She blushes, then admits to him, “My father and I have an agreement, if I haven’t dropped him a call or email in a couple of days, he calls.  It is enough to bring me out of it.  Plus I have started habits to help me.  It’s just when I get in the middle of research, I lose myself until I solve the mystery.” She sardonically grins, “I have had to do something…”

She leaves the kitchen as he follows her to the less formal family room.  He nods as he looks around, seeing Bella’s touch in everything.  The house had always been too stuffy for him in the past, but Bella had opened it up with the lighter paint colors, but also added comfort in the overstuffed furniture.

Bella collapses in a leather armchair.  “I just realized that since this morning, this is the first time I have relaxed.”

Damon sits in the chair nearest her and grins. “I am going to take credit for it.”  His grin tells her he is teasing.

But before she can retort, there is a knock on the door.  Bella frowns and then huffing, makes her way to the door, Damon following her.

When she opens it, she sees the delivery people for Staples and chuckles. “I guess Sam was right when he said you guys weren’t busy?” She is not really seeing the guy in front of her, thinking more of all that she will be able to write down now.

The driver, presented with the beauty in front of him, smiles. “Nope, Ma’am.  Names Joe.  If you just show me where you want them, I will be happy to bring them inside and set them up.” ‘ _and more if you want..’_ the guy not even seeing Damon behind her, too busy checking her out.

Damon lifts an eyebrow at the man who is obviously flirting with her.  Joe catches the movement and swallows at the look on his face. ‘ _Why are all the good ones taken?_ ’

He smiles at Bella, then turns and makes his way to the delivery truck, muttering under his breath at how some guys get all the luck.

Hiding the smirk from Joe bob’s muttering, Damon asks quietly, “How did you get them to deliver so late?”

Chuckling she looks up at the man behind her, “It’s amazing what a little flirting does.  A single woman, a new single woman in town?  Surely you have used your charm to get your way.” Lifting her own brow at him as to challenge him.

He grins down at her, acknowledging the jab. “But then, I am a man and there is little chance of a stranger taking advantage of me.”  His hand raises up of its own volition and touches her cheek softly. Neither aware of more than the feeling that roots them in place.

Then a throat being cleared make both of them start.  Damon’s hand tightens on her then drops as he slides in front of her.  He raises his eyebrow up and waits. He is not taking a chance.  Not if his suspicions are anywhere close to being right.  It is a million to one chance, but he is not giving it up….

Joe’s eyes widen at the man in front of him.  He gestures with his head to the boards he is carrying.

Bella shakes her head at Damon’s antics.  She pops her head around him to tell Joe, “Follow me.” With that, she gave Damon a slight push out of the way and turns to lead both men to her Library.

Damon stops, shocked as he sees the new Library.  He is surprised to see the older books in special cases and looking around can see other changes, which make the place more organized.  His lips quirk at the end. ‘ _I think she will be a great addition to our group.’_   But first, he is going to make sure she knows about him and not to find out from Elena or Bonnie.  They will paint him in a bad way, and with how hard he had to work to get her name, he doesn’t want to give her any reason to push him away.  He is sure that she can do it, and he won’t give up on her.

A slight noise calls his attention over to Bella as she tells Joe where to place the boards.  He turns his head to the side watching her, taking in the fact her attitude is more take charge.  He leans against the doorway, taking enjoyment of watching the dark hair beauty in front of him.

Bella almost forgets about Damon as she directs Joe to where to put the boards.  For a second she resents him being here, stopping her from diving in to the research.

Joe makes quick work on putting up the boards on their stands then leaves, getting a vibe from the man that he is most unwelcome.

Damon smirks as he realizes why the guy lit out of here.  He moves beside Bella as she stands there staring at the boards.  “I take it this has to do with your job?”

Bella nods as she is mentally arranging things.  She reaches out to tug a board to the side, jumping when Damon does it for her. “Shit!”

Damon laughs as he holds both hands up.  “Just helping.”

Shaking her head, she tells him, “Sorry.  Not used to others helping or having friends either I guess.  Been a loner since I was 18.” She runs her hands through her hair, nervously.

Damon steps closer to her, looking down at her. “So let’s make a pact.  Give this a real try.” His voice is softer, pleading almost.

Cocking an eyebrow at him she asks, “Just friendship?”

He smiles as he tucks a strand of hair behind her ear. “At first.  If it becomes more, and don’t get me wrong, I _really_ wouldn’t mind it becoming more, we never lose the friendship.” His eyes flick back up to hers, making sure she can see the want in his eyes.

Bella is staring into his eyes, searching if he is being honest.  She finally nods.  “Agreed.  But you should know, Damon, that lying is a hard line for me.  I was massively lied to, and it about broke me when I found out.” Her eyes dark, her voice low, she tells him the truth, the painful truth.

Damon sighs and looks past her for a second. Thinking about the decision he made earlier today, and with this piece of information, he realizes that she will find out either way.  This way, maybe he can keep her by telling her from the get go.  It would be a new approach at least.  He then asks, “Not that I am planning to lie to you, but how much do you want to know now, and what would you consider lying?”

Bella cocks her head to the side.  She finally tells him, “How much do you trust me?  Because I will trade you secrets.”  She then goes and sits in one of the chairs she has scattered around the room. She looks up into his eyes from her place as she admits, “Damon, my secrets will change your life, and possibly put you in danger.  I have never trusted another person other than my father, and that was after he found out on his own.”  Her eyes lower briefly and then meet his, the pain in them calling to him.

Crossing the room to her, he drops to crouch before her.  Making a decision, knowing he may lose her because of it, he finds that he is unwilling to lose her.  He has no idea why she means so much to him when he only met her yesterday, but she means more than Katherine ever did, more than Elena. He is tired of just surviving, he wants to thrive. He stares into her eyes and tells her, “I’m a vampire.”

* * *

**Final count, 4,352 words.**

**Fairfarren~Wendy**


	6. Uphill Struggles over Years, The Fear

# Uphill Struggles over Years, The Fear

**[ ](http://kittyinaz.wordpress.com/twilightvampire-diaries/youre-all-i-am-asking-for/chapter-5-uphill-struggles-over-years-the-fear/mystic-falls-va-profile/) **

**Disclosure:  Twilight and Vampire Diaries are owned by their respective braianics that thought of it.**

**Pre Edit Count -   3,003 Words**

_Song I listened to for this chapter: Nobody’s Listening_ by Linkin Park.

* * *

_Previous:_

_Damon steps closer to her, looking down at her. “So let’s make a pact.  Give this a real try.” His voice is softer, pleading almost._

_Cocking an eyebrow at him she asks, “Just friendship?”_

_He smiles as he tucks a strand of hair behind her ear. “At first.  If it becomes more, and don’t get me wrong, I really wouldn’t mind it becoming more, we never lose the friendship.” His eyes flick back up to hers, making sure she can see the want in his eyes._

_Bella is staring into his eyes, searching if he is being honest.  She finally nods.  “Agreed.  But you should know, Damon, that lying is a hard line for me.  I was massively lied to, and it about broke me when I found out.” Her eyes dark, her voice low, she tells him the truth, the painful truth._

_Damon sighs and looks past her for a second. Thinking about the decision he made earlier today, and with this piece of information, he realizes that she will find out either way.  This way, maybe he can keep her by telling her from the get go.  It would be a new approach at least.  He then asks, “Not that I am planning to lie to you, but how much do you want to know now, and what would you consider lying?”_

_Bella cocks her head to the side.  She finally tells him, “How much do you trust me?  Because I will trade you secrets.”  She then goes and sits in one of the chairs she has scattered around the room. She looks up into his eyes from her place as she admits, “Damon, my secrets will change your life, and possibly put you in danger.  I have never trusted another person other than my father, and that was after he found out on his own.”  Her eyes lower briefly and then meet his, the pain in them calling to him._

_Crossing the room to her, he drops to crouch before her.  Making a decision, knowing he may lose her because of it, he finds that he is unwilling to lose her.  He has no idea why she means so much to him when he only met her yesterday, but she means more than Katherine ever did, more than Elena. He is tired of just surviving, he wants to thrive. He stares into her eyes and tells her, “I’m a vampire.”_

_Now:_

* * *

[ ](http://kittyinaz.files.wordpress.com/2012/12/leighton-meester-3.jpg)

Bella stares at him. Her mind busy with the words, what they mean to her and the comparisons to what she believes as vampires. And how Damon is different.  He can be outside, does not sparkle, his eyes….

Damon waits for her to process his words, waiting for the outburst to accompany the denials. He also is thinking more on the pull he is feeling towards her, a suspicion coming up from his mentor.  Something she told him many, many years ago.

Brown eyes meets his blue ones, they are processing, thinking. Shuffling in her head, making the adjustments needed.  Never once did she think to deny Damon’s statement…

Continuing to wait, Damon refuses to give up.  He told her his big secret, and he will work to make her understand that he will not, _cannot_  hurt her.  He will do anything to stay at least where he is, if not becoming more to her as he stated prior.

In Bella’s head, she is having an argument.  Not knowing how much time is passing by in the real world, Bella is wrapped up in her head.  It wasn’t until the questions about the differences became too much did she finally focus.

Damon sighs when he sees her back. “Welcome back, stellina.” He is smiling slightly, his eyes examining her face, trying to see what she is thinking…

The smile that comes across her face couldn’t be helped.  “Little star.  That is what my Grandmother called me.” The memory is a fond one…

[ ](http://kittyinaz.files.wordpress.com/2012/12/damon-55.jpg)

Cupping her face, Damon murmurs, “It fits you.  Now are you ready for the questions you want to fire at me and the answers you are going to get?” Getting nothing from her face, he turns to her soul, his eyes search hers, trying to read her.

Bella stares into his, and then asks, “Are you ready for my secrets, Damon?  I promise you that between the two of us, I think this will be a revealing night.” To say the least.

Still staring into her eyes, he tells her, “So be it.  But remember, friends.  I promise to never tell anyone if you don’t want me to, and I am trusting you with mine.  To be frank, most of the people who should know, do.” He shrugs. Anymore, it doesn’t seem to be that big of a secret, but he finds he wants to know more about him.

Thinking for a second of the different ways they can do this, she tells him, “Move, please.  And if I am telling all, then I might as well spill it all.  Who knows, you may be able to tell me what I am not understanding.”  She looks him in the eyes as she tells him, “Because you are not what I know as a vampire.”

Damon rocks back on his heels, staring at her.  Nothing could surprise him more.  He is staring at where she is sitting, not noticing when she stands up and moves to her desk. No, his mind is swirling with the same thoughts that strangely mirror Bella’s but trying to figure out what the differences can be.

He finally looks up at her, but when she indicates for him to come to her, he closes his mouth and moves, no longer hiding his abilities from her.

Bella chuckles. “Well at least that is one similar trait.”  She leans back in her seat, knowing he is watching, and probably memorizing what she is doing, she presses her finger against a spot on the bookcase behind her.  After a minute, the spot lights up and reads her fingerprint.  It clicks afterwards, showing that the thick sides of the bookcase are hiding some notebooks and a laptop.

Damon watches her, commenting, “You are taking secrecy to a whole new level aren’t you.”

Plugging in the laptop, Bella informs him, “Once you know what I know, you will understand.  It is literally a life and death thing to keep the secret.”

He can’t hide the growl from her comment. No one will be killing her on his watch.  Ever.

Glancing up, Bella tells him, “Make yourself helpful.  Grab one of the white boards and pull it behind us.  And a chair.  I hope you have nowhere to be tonight, because there is a lot of information.” Inside she is scared and worried.  Why does she feel the need to tell Damon all about this?  Something she has basically bottled up, knowing that it will never be aired, and now, within a day of meeting Damon, she is spilling her most intense secret she has.

Doing as she asks, he also brings the bag with the markers and such from Staples over with his chair. Sitting down, he leans forward, his arm causally resting behind hers. “So, stellina, its show and tell time.” The smile is in his voice.  He is trying to regain his status quo, no one knowing better than he what can happen if he loses it.  Although, he is getting the idea that he better be prepared for the worst.

Laughing at him, Bella tells him, “Let me tell you a story of a silly girl and her first love…”  She proceeds to tell him of her meeting with Edward and the results of it.  Sometimes looking at Damon, but as she gets farther in it, getting lost in the story of her life and when everything changed.

Damon listens to her story, his eyes narrowing as he realizes that they left her alone in a world that demands that she either be one of them or dead.  He barely keeps the growl that has been rumbling in his chest in, but he finally realizes it is bleeding into his other powers when lightning strikes nearby.

With a loud growl when Bella gets to the ballet studio, Damon is suddenly by a window, looking out at the storm that has started outside, he is pouring out his frustration and anger into the storm outside, glad for the outlet.

Bella gives him a couple minutes, then she tells him, “Obviously I survived.” Her voice is even, just informing him of the truth in front of him.  God knows she has gotten angry over the years at her stupidity and the actions of the Cullens.  She is _not_ used to someone getting angry because of what has happened to her.  Ever.  Not even her father.

Damon closes his eyes for a second. “Bella, I want nothing more than to have these idiots in front of me.” Another lightning strike cracks through the sky, illuminating his face, showing the demon inside of him that is controlled by his will only.

Hearing the anger in his voice, Bella tells him softly. “Wait until the end, Damon.  You need to hear the rest of it then we can talk about this, please?” If he is angry about this, how will he take the rest?

He looks over his shoulder at her.  Her face shows her pain and he soon vamps to her side.  “Go ahead.  Though I have an idea I am not going to like this.” He puts his arm around her and pulls her to him, resting his head on hers, using her scent to help center himself. When she speaks, he reluctantly releases her.

Bella sarcastically laughs. “Well, I don’t like it.  And if you haven’t liked what you heard so far, you may hate what is coming.” She continues through the episode with James, unconsciously rubbing her wrist that will be the permanent reminder of that.  Damon notes her movement, but noticing the pain in her voice, just waits until afterwards for his questions.

She soon tunes out the room, the chill in the air from the storm, and tells him of the rest of the story, ending with Edward’s betrayal of her at the end.  She only comes out of it when his snarl rips out.

He pulls her towards him, holding her to him as he comes back to himself.  “Bella, I…can’t even explain how angry this makes me.  Now, tell me what you know of these vamps.  You said they were cold?” He will hunt them down.  Tear them into tiny little bits until nothing remains except the idea of them.  NO one messes with his Bella.  Not anymore.

Bella nods, but stops, shocked as she can hear his heartbeat.  It was slow, slower than the normal human’s would be, but there.  She says hesitantly, “You have a heartbeat.” There is wonder in her voice.  He is slightly cooler than her, not enough to notice with the chill in the air.

Damon stills and looks down at her, “Of course I do.”  His eyes search hers, “Why wouldn’t I?” How else would the blood flow through his veins?

She is still reeling as she opens her laptop, and opens to an entry on the vampires she knows. She indicates the computer.

Damon tucks her into him more securely, to the point of picking her up and sliding into her chair with her tucked into him and starts to read the file she has put together.  He holds her tighter as he reads the one rule, Never let the secret out.  And as he reads the rest of the information, his voice is strained as he asks, “Do you know if they ever killed the redhead?”  With what he is reading, he just can’t see the redhead giving up.  But then, Edward had claimed that Bella is his mate.  In his world, Mates are so rare that he cannot even think of one of his kind giving up theirs.

Looking up at him, “No.  Edward said she wasn’t his mate, but Jasper argued with him.  The rest of them, as it seems to be normal, went with the wonder duo.  It never made sense to me, if Carlisle is the leader of the coven, why did those two make all the decisions?” She is wondering, being able to voice the questions in her head for the first time in years.

Leaning down enough to smell her as he is trying to keep some semblance of control, Damon growls out.  “I believe Jasper is right.  Now tell me what has happened since fuckward left.” Needing to know everything, so he can make sure she is protected.  Even if he has to live as a Raven outside her bedroom, she will be safe.

She laughs at the use of the name she has often called Edward in her mind.  “I decided that I wanted to be the me that took care of my mother, who raised her instead of her raising me, who took care of my father when I came.  I let the Cullen’s make the decisions, liking the fact I didn’t have to worry at night about the decisions, decisions that really I had no place having to worry about.  I became a shadow of myself and I hated it.  I turned around my life after they left.  I also ran into some shifters, one of them being my Dad’s best friend’s son.  My dad and his best friend had both lobbied for me to date him and I finally gave in.  Then after our first date, he never called back.  I had gotten mad and went to confront him, only to find out he knew everything, and was mad at me for knowingly dating a vampire.  We got into a fight about it, that ended up involving the entire pack and I found out that he was a wolf the next second as he literally phased in front of me.  The rest of the pack hated me since I willingly dated a leach.  Later Leah, the only female in the group, found out what really happened.  She tried to tell them, but to be truthful, I had enough.  I had put myself into my schoolwork, wanting nothing more than to leave.  The Cullens had arranged for a full ride scholarship to Dartmouth for me, and I took it.  Graduated early and left.  I went back one summer, broke into the house and read every book in Jasper’s and Carlisle’s libraries. That is how I composed the information.” Her voice had become monotone, as she remembers the pain and anger she had harbored over the years, all of it coming back to her in a rush.

During the story, Damon had rubbed her back, his head resting on hers as he read more on her file.  He asks, his baritone rumbling in his chest as she lays against it, “So what did you graduate with?” Trying to draw her out of the state she is in, to center her back to the here and now.

Commenting as softly, “Doctorate in English and Archaeology.  But what I do, is research the supernatural.  My thesis was on the Flood.  But here is the real kicker.  I was encouraged to write a book, and after changing enough to make sure I was not in danger, I wrote Twilight.” She blushes as she admits another secret, one she is embarrassed about.

Not being able to stop the laugh that comes from him, Damon remarks.  “My brother’s girlfriend and friends loved that book.  But now it makes sense why there were no more.”

She grins. “Nope.” And there will not be unless something changes… Drastically.

Damon sighs.  “My turn now, right?”

She nods.

[ ](http://kittyinaz.files.wordpress.com/2012/12/damon-76.jpg)

He leans back in the chair, making sure she is comfortable on his lap. “I was born in 1840.  My family is one of the Founding Families of Mystic Falls.  I have a younger brother who is also a vampire, named Stefan.  He was the darling of our father, and I was jealous.  The Civil War came around and I left to fulfill our duty.  After a couple of years, when we were close by here, I came home on leave.  To my surprise, there was a lady staying called Katherine Pierce.  She was beautiful and flirted with me.  Like you with Edward, I was obsessed with her.  When I had to leave to go back, I barely could leave, and once I found myself back in the war, I couldn’t stop thinking of her.  The final straw was after a difference of opinion with higher ups over my orders, which would have, and did leave to a slaughter house after I left.” His eyes reflect that moment in time, when he had tried to save the men under his command from a bloody and senseless death.  In the end, it made no difference, he lived, and they died.  Every single one of them…

He sighs as he remembers the rest of his life story. “And made the biggest mistake of my life.  I fell in love with her.  I thought she was in love with me.  She told me what she was, and I wanted nothing more than to become a vampire like her to be with her for the rest of eternity.  Imagine my shock when I found out Stefan was also sleeping with her and in love with her too.  Though painful, it was a peaceful experience.  Then my father became involved with the Gilberts and learned of the vampires.  He was disgusted with the idea of them, and at the time, the town was full of them.”

[ ](http://kittyinaz.files.wordpress.com/2012/12/stefan-and-katherine-2.jpg)

He closed his eyes, remembering the next sequence. “Stefan betrayed us.  Unknowingly, he foolishly confided in our father, hoping to have permission to marry Katherine.  Instead my father drugged him full of vervain, an herb that is poisonous to vampires, and does nothing to humans but make them impervious to glamour from us.  Knowing from what Stefan had told him; that Katherine drank from him; he knew that they just had to patient, to just wait for her to drink from Stefan again.  When they dragged her off, both of us tried to save her, only to have our father shoot both of us in the chest.  We had both had her blood in us still and started the transition.  To complete it, you have to drink human blood.  I refused, believing there was no reason to go on with Katherine dead.  Stefan forced me to drink blood, not wanting to be alone.  I vowed to make his life miserable when I realized what he had done and left.”

He then tells her softly, “As a vampire, you can turn off your emotions, it is like a switch, or at least you can when you are young.  I did so, and proceeded to work to gain power for myself.  My mentor, Sage, was one of the first vampires.  She told me that Katherine was in a vault underneath the church that I had thought they had burned down with the vampires inside.  Instead, they are all trapped down there, waiting for someone to free them on certain nights with a comet.  She also taught me how to gain power, until I rivaled her, a vampire of many years older.  I did it all, with the goal of waiting until I could free Katherine, and keeping her safe.  I became proficient at arts that only the oldest of us have, command over the elements and shape shifting, along with the ability to have a familiar.  My strength also is much more than one of my age.  But, I killed, Bella.”

[ ](http://kittyinaz.files.wordpress.com/2012/12/stefan-1.jpg)

He shifts and looks her in the eyes, “Stefan is a legend in our world, he is known as a ripper.  They think it is because he never gained the control over his hunger.  The previous Ripper was known in London.  He was killed by Sage because he was getting too cocky.  Stefan was taken under the wing of another vampire named Lexi.  She taught him to drink animal blood, but it weakens him greatly.  I can never survive on animals.” He is blunt, wanting her to know it all.  He will never drink from animals.

Bella bit her bottom lip as she asks, “You kill still?” She is trying to gain control, but she is losing.  In her heart, she knows that whatever is going on between them, it would not matter if he still kills.  Not with how her thoughts are on the topic anymore.

He looks her in the eye, “Not anymore.  Not since I gained the power I need.  We are not poison to humans.  We can stop drinking and leave them alive.  I personally just raid blood banks to keep a steady supply around.  But if I ever need to, I have no issues on killing to save someone’s life or mine.  Bella, I will kill for those I care about, and you are currently high on that list.  You wanted honest, and that is what I am being.” Things are lining up in his head… the conclusion he is coming to is causing him to double, triple check.

She nods her head. “I understand.  I know I will kill if need to.  I hate it, but I would.  I also, during my studies in college, found that the Cullens were possibly killing more humans with the way they were.  They hunted much more frequently according to Jasper’s journals and Carlisle’s notes.” She gives a wry grin.

He smiles.  “I’m glad you are much more reasonable.  Elena threw a fit when she found out.” His face tells her how much that had hurt at the time.

[ ](http://kittyinaz.files.wordpress.com/2012/12/elena-1.jpg)

She raises an eyebrow at him.  His smile gets bigger as he informs her, “Right.  Elena Gilbert, current doppelganger of the Petrova bloodline.  She is also Katherine’s descendant and looks exactly like her.  Currently, we are looking for information about a Sun and Moon curse that is supposedly based around her.  She is also Stefan’s girlfriend and claims to be my friend, but has no problem badmouthing me to others.” He is finding that while he is still upset with her reactions, it wasn’t anywhere close to how he is feeling around Bella.  He is realizing the conclusion he has come to is right.  And shocking to him, is he cares nothing about it.  She is his.

Bella laughs softly at his affronted voice. “And are you in love with the look-alike?”  She holds her breath, needing the answer, but not wanting to know.  She is giving up the fight with her attraction to him, it wasn’t as if she was winning against it…

Damon looks down at her and tells her, “No.  I thought I was, but let’s just say someone just came into my life and means more to me than her.”  He looks up and hesitates. Will she run from his conclusion?

Bella reaches out and pulls his head down. “Now, I thought we said no secrets?” Her eyes search his, trying to figure out what he is saying.  No way he feels the same.

Damon sighs.  “There is an old legend that Sage had taught me.  She told me that there is such a thing as mates for us.  They are very, very rare, but once you meet yours, you can’t let them go.  The way she explains it, it is like a huge neon sign is pointing to that person, showing you your soul mate.  But there is nothing making you love the person.  However, it all describes what I have been feeling since my eyes met yours last night.” He is staring into her eyes, his voice hesitant, hoping.  Hoping that Edward had not marred her soul and heart too much to allow him in.

Looking at him, she raises her eyebrow as she says, “And after the story I just told, you are worried I am going to run away from you screaming?”  At his reluctant nod, she laughs. “No Damon, I am not going to run away from you.  I find myself thinking about you quite often also.  Do you really think I would share my secrets that I have kept to myself all this time to someone else?  I trust you.” She admits, a small smile hovering on her lips as dares to allow herself to hope.

He smiles at her. “I was serious before, Bella.  No matter what, I want you in my life.  Either as a friend or more.  But you can forgive me if I admit I _really_ want that more.” He smirks, realizing that she did indeed feel the same.

Laughing, Bella tells him, “No need to.  Let’s see how this goes.  But I suspect that life is going to be interesting.”

He couldn’t help himself and kisses on her head.  “To say the least.  Now, let’s get talking about the rest, and then we can get to the fun part.”

Bella looks at him, “the fun part?”

Damon smirks down to her, “When I prove how superior I am to any other male you have ever met of course!”

Bella’s laughter peals through the house.

* * *

**Final count, 4,252 words.**

**Fairfarren~Wendy**


	7. Made to Never Fall Away

# Made to Never Fall Away

**[ ](http://kittyinaz.files.wordpress.com/2012/12/289603xcitefun-60.jpg) **

**Pre Edit Count -   2,668 Words**

_Song I listened to for this chapter: Letters from the Sky_ by Civil Twilight.

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_Previous:_

_Damon sighs.  “There is an old legend that Sage had taught me.  She told me that there is such a thing as mates for us.  They are very, very rare, but once you meet yours, you can’t let them go.  The way she explains it, it is like a huge neon sign is pointing to that person, showing you your soul mate.  But there is nothing making you love the person.  However, it all describes what I have been feeling since my eyes met yours last night.” He is staring into her eyes, his voice hesitant, hoping.  Hoping that Edward had not marred her soul and heart too much to allow him in._

_Looking at him, she raises her eyebrow as she says, “And after the story I just told, you are worried I am going to run away from you screaming?”  At his reluctant nod, she laughs. “No Damon, I am not going to run away from you.  I find myself thinking about you quite often also.  Do you really think I would share my secrets that I have kept to myself all this time to someone else?  I trust you.” She admits, a small smile hovering on her lips as dares to allow herself to hope._

_He smiles at her. “I was serious before, Bella.  No matter what, I want you in my life.  Either as a friend or more.  But you can forgive me if I admit I really want that more.” He smirks, realizing that she did indeed feel the same._

_Laughing, Bella tells him, “No need to.  Let’s see how this goes.  But I suspect that life is going to be interesting.”_

_He couldn’t help himself and kisses on her head.  “To say the least.  Now, let’s get talking about the rest, and then we can get to the fun part.”_

_Bella looks at him, “the fun part?”_

_Damon smirks down to her, “When I prove how superior I am to any other male you have ever met of course!”_

_Bella’s laughter peals through the house._

_Now:_

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[ ](http://kittyinaz.wordpress.com/twilightvampire-diaries/youre-all-i-am-asking-for/chapter-6-made-to-never-fall-away/storm-clouds/)

Across Mystic Falls a storm is raging.  It is one of the more spectacular storms in that area that has happened for awhile. Driving everyone under cover, shocked with the fury of the storm that had not been forecasted. Those that are aware of Damon’s power, which actually consisted of a very few, wonder what has upset the vampire. It is the only explanation of how the storm could have formed as it did.

In the Moutin Plantation, two people are learning about each other. These two basically strangers are exchanging information , by now both have commented on how much alike they are.  Both are enjoying the ability to interact with someone with no secrets between them. Both have spent a long time keeping their own counsel, knowing others couldn’t understand the way they are, however, they are finding that they can tell the other in a few words what would take days to tell someone else.  And who knows if the other person would have understand their viewpoint?  Instead, they are finding out that they are not alone no more.

Bella finds out that Damon is very good with research.  He told her it was because it seems like everything in life lately has been a result from something in the past and he has learned this the hard way. She also finds his practical outlook on the world a refreshing change.  She has spent so much time hiding, that she has forgotten how good it felt to interact with another person.

Damon, is pleased on how well organized Bella is in her life and on her database.  He completely understands why she is considered one of the better researches out there.  He had read it on one of the emails that popped up on her other computer asking for help. And quickly teased her about it, but there is a look of pride on his face that she is considered this.  He cannot help it.  He finally knows a woman who has taken care of herself and others for years.  Damon understands this since he is the same way.  He is a nurturer.  He loves to take care of people, and his romantic side wants nothing more than to feel free to love, knowing it wouldn’t be taken advantage of frees him to be more himself.

But he did understand why she took such great lengths to hide this laptop though.  It is a compilation of years of research.  It is cross referenced and full of information she had come across it.  With what she has known about the risk to her life, but the need to know to protect herself, she has compiled the most amazing compilation of Supernatural information.  All cross referenced of course.

However, there is the moment when he learns from where she got some information, as she shows him the box she had been sent. In it is the books that Stefan and Alaric had determined to be last in Isobel Fleming’s research, Alaric’s ex-wife and the vampire he sired, and the biggest shocker, Elena’s mother.  He had stared at the box that held the information that he had gotten shot at, that he had gotten into an argument about, in front of him.  He slightly shakes his head, knowing that his mate had no idea he existed until yesterday, much less known he had been looking for this information.

[ ](http://kittyinaz.wordpress.com/twilightvampire-diaries/youre-all-i-am-asking-for/chapter-6-made-to-never-fall-away/stefan_damon_alaric/)

When her first couple of attempts of getting his attention didn’t work, she lightly touches him and he quickly looks to her with a slight smile, enjoying the touch of her hand on him.  She asks him, “Damon, what’s wrong?  You completely zoned out looking at the books from the box.”

Blowing a breath of air out, Damon took a drink of his scotch as he puts his thoughts together. “Not too long ago, we were researching something we had come across.  Alaric had told us that the information we needed was in his ex-wife’s office on the campus of Duke.  Elena, Alaric and I made the trip there.  While being there, Elena was attacked.  I took the shot for her, and got reprimanded because I wanted revenge.” He winced a little, remembering how close it was to killing him.  If it had been a little lower…

Shaking her head, she mutters, “With friends like that, who needs enemies?  Did she thank you?”

Snorting Damon fixes her with a look.  “Elena thank me for saving her life?  If she did that I would be shocked.  It isn’t the first time.  And to be fair, I had been mad at her not too much earlier and broke her brother’s neck.”  And that he did wince.  But he isn’t going to hide his past from her.

Stopping her movements, she turns to him and lifts an eyebrow. “You broke his neck because you were mad at her?”

He offers, “He didn’t die.”  Then he pauses, and corrects himself, “Ok, he did die, but he came back.”

Just staring at him, Bella waits.  She knows there is more to the story, and is patient.  He has never apologized for his past and told her enough to know he is not the nicest guy out there.  But each time, when she dug under the surface, there was a reason for Damon’s actions.  He is not the bad guy everyone thinks.  He just has an attitude that he rather his hands get dirty than others.  He had killed in the Civil War.  He has no illusions about life.  She also suspects that is the reason he does kill easier than others, she has the feeling he did hesitate and cost others their lives.  He learned his lesson the hard way.  And cares enough to try to keep others from experiencing the same harsh lesson.

With her eyes on him, not judging, but waiting for the rest of the story, as she has done anytime he has tried to tell her about the things he has done.  Sighing, not able to deny her this time as the past times, he tells her, “Ok.  Here is the deal.  Jeremy had a ring that if killed by a supernatural, he comes back to life.  I didn’t know, I was angry.  It was stupid, but I was frustrated.  I was being blamed for things I did, but not for the reason you think.  Elena is mad at me because her mother is a vampire, and Alaric is mad because I turned his wife to a vampire.  I knew neither of them, had no idea who the woman is. To top it off, the woman is the same one.  Isabel Flemming.  The one who sent you the box.”  He watches, waiting for the blow up he has grown to expect.

Bella’s comment shocks him to his very core. “And you were supposed to know that this woman is the mother of your brother’s girlfriend or someone who is close to being your friend? Who are these people and what world do they live in?  That would be like me getting mad at Carlisle for turning Emmett after finding out he is related to me.  Which right now, wouldn’t surprise me.” She knows that she has surprised him, but then, he too has surprised her with the understanding of the choices she has made in her life.  Whatever is happening between them is just as Damon said.  It was a huge arrow pointing out each other to the other one, saying here is your perfect half, one who will stand by your side for the rest of your like, supporting you as you support them.

[ ](http://kittyinaz.files.wordpress.com/2012/12/damon_drinking2.gif)

Grinning at her from his spot in a chair, drinking some scotch she had, Damon toasted her. “Exactly my point.  But none of them understand.” He is relieved, again, somehow, Bella understood.  More than what he was saying.  And it just made him more determined to make her his.

Bella shakes her head as she organizes the stuff on her desk as she thinks.  “This is why I had decided that me being by myself would not be a bad thing.”

Chuckling, he replies, “Until I came along.” _‘Please don’t push me away’_ is the unsaid message behind his cockiness.

Rolling her eyes as she starts labeling the boards, “And how rare is what we are to your type?” And she answers his plea with the assurance she isn’t.  She is prepared to make him understand that she is really trying.

“Really rare, like only has happened a couple times in our history. And Sage was one of the first vampires turned, and the researcher of our type.  Her history goes very far back.” Is his quiet response.

Too quiet. Bella turns around and looks at him. “Spit it out, Damon.  What’s wrong?”

He looks at her and tries to put it into words, “I am worried, Bella.  I cannot explain to you how it feels.  Even the idea of something happening to you is enough to make me go all growly on you.  Anything else is getting funneled into the storm.” He gestures to the storm outside that is picking up strength with his worries.

She looks at him, taking in the pained look on his face. “Do you not want this?” _‘Do you not want me?’_ was her unsaid words.

“No! Don’t ever think that!”  Damon is in front of her, her face cradled in his hands. “I’m worried more about you, how you are taking this.  I _want_ this.  I have never met someone like you that can take all this without batting an eyelash, and in fact has no problem getting into the trenches with me.  But you pulling away from me, sending me out of your life, you getting hurt, you _dying_ , is enough to make that storm outside.” He is begging her to understand him.  She is now his world.  He has given into the Bond.  That second was when he gave up the fight and became hers.  Completely.

Bella stares at him and raising her hands to rest upon his, she turns her head to give him a kiss on his hand.  “Damon, I told you that no matter what we will be friends.  I cannot promise to not get hurt, because at one point I was very klutzy.  I am more than willing to explore this with you.  But how about this, for right now.  If I am in danger, turn me.” And she stares into his uniquely blue eyes, eyes that have captured her soul.

[ ](http://kittyinaz.files.wordpress.com/2012/12/damon-17.png)

Damon stares at her, looking into her eyes, trying to determine if she is being truthful.  He won’t ask if she is sure, because she, of all the people out there, understands what she is getting into.  But the chance to have the one person on the earth that is his other half, is willing to be turned?

Knowing how much of a shock this is to him, she tells him softly, “I choose you, Damon.  I just told you I had decided to be alone in this world before meeting you.  But I choose you to be with.  At least friends, more if possible.  Why would you think I would not want to explore this fully?  To know that leaving you, may leave you alone in the world?  Give me some credit, Damon.” And with those few statements, the Bond has started to pull them together, tying one by one strings to them.  Neither knowing that this was the pivotal point that their being together became reality.

He pulls her closer and hugs her. “I am scared.  There I said it.  Big, bad Damon is scared.  I never felt this way about someone, and for it to come so quickly, is frightening.  At least I know why.  You were told before that you were the mate to someone, and that ended in a fashion that I would not be surprised by your reactions to be negative.  Instead, to know you not only want me, but that you are willing to be turned?  I-I don’t have words for it.” He rests his head on hers. The feeling in him overwhelming and he just needs her to be there in his arms.

Amazed as always at the sound of his heart beating, and the actual warmth she can feel from him, she doesn’t resist the urge to cuddle into him.  The sound that erupts from him, the light purring she feels more than hears makes her smile.

“I rendered you speechless. I think I should mark down the date somewhere.”

His chuckles lightening the mood.  He looks down at her, “You really want to be turned?” As soon as the words are out of his mouth, he flinches.  He had told himself he would not second guess her, but here he is doing exactly that.

Bella smiles at him, understanding where the question came from really. “And if you want to be sure, you can give me your blood as often as needed to be sure.”

He kisses her forehead as he holds her close. “I think I will take you up on that, after hearing your tales.”

Bella hits him and he laughs.  She turns in his arms to face the board.  “One of the reasons I decided to get the second board is I had read something shocking today.  It is what sent me out of the house today.  I was trying to wrap my mind around it.”

Damon nods, knowing from his watching that something had bothered her earlier enough to send her out of the house.  “And?”

Walking out of his hold, she writes on the top of the board, ‘Swan family tree. Aka Lebada.’  And at the top, she writes Elijah Mikaelson then shows her Great-many times grandmother, Camilia Labada.

Damon stares at the names. ‘ _It can’t be.’_ He asks, “Do you have a picture of Elijah?”

She nods and turning to her computer, she brings up the picture she had scanned before shredding the original she had found stuck in between pages of a book.

Looking at it, and seeing his thoughts confirmed, Damon rubs his eyes and turns to pace.  He tells her, “I told you we are in the process of researching something.  That something is called the Sun and Moon Curse.  This man keeps turning up and I suspect he is an original.” This cannot be happening.  His mate, his other half is related to the person who had single handily killed multiple vampires to keep him from finding more information on the originals and on the Sun and Moon curse.

Bella is thinking over what he said as she mentions, “The Sun and Moon curse is a false lead.”

“What?”

The shock in his voice causes her to look up at him, “The Sun and Moon curse is false.  There are many legends out there about a doppelgänger.  They all have some truth in them, but they are false. The actual use of a doppelganger is to release someone named Klaus from the curse his mother placed on him.  Supposedly he is Elijah’s brother, but I haven’t confirmed it.  But I am not done with Isobel’s information.  Like I said I was shocked to find out about my family.”

Damon turns to her, “What is shocking to you, stella?”

She looks at him and then draws on the board, the twins.  One last name Moutin, the other Labada.  “Do you know what Labada means in Romanian? Swan.  They migrated here to the Americas in the late 1940’s.  My father had the family bible, and I read most of the line.  We are not a family that has more than one child at a time.  To find that we married back into the Moutin line who ended with my Grandmother as the last to carry the name, and now my father and I are the last of the line.  Well I guess somehow I am.  My mom had some Labada in her, not much, but I tracked it back to the line.  So I am the last of this particular line.” She shrugs, it not meaning much to her.

Damon’s eyes widen, “Which may make you the only living descendant of Elijah or the Mikaelsons.”

Bella nods.  “I wanted to confirm it.  It’s unbelievable that both lines have been so small that they end with us.” Or that her mom would also be related to her father so far back in the line.  That she, herself was the culmination of the line.

Damon comments quietly, “You know, I can’t have children?  Just saying…” He cannot help it. He comes from a time that an heir and a spare was still predominant in the thinking of his generation. Carrying on the name and all of that.

Laughing at his face, she tells him, “After raising my mother and father, I want nothing to do with children if possible.  This actually works in your case, Damon.”

He grins, “We can always practice.  Maybe I just need the practice to get it right.” He closes in on her, pulling her back into his arms as he rests his head on hers, staring at the board in front of him.

The look she throws him as she steps away to make the final notes on the board makes him chuckle as she comments, “I think you have practiced many times.  I was not kidding when I told you to go after a frat girl, they seem your type.”

Damon pulls her back to him as he tells her softly, “Never again.  After you, there is nothing, my carissa.”

She smiles at him, “Damon, I-“

He lays a finger on her lips. “Shhh.  I promise.  And I don’t make promises that I don’t intend to keep.”

Huffing slightly, she turns back to the books lying across her desk. “I have no idea where to start, tonight.”

Damon smiles, “Then don’t.  Lock up the room, and we will go and talk.  I have hundreds of years of stuff to tell you, and you have hundreds of years of information stuck in your head.  I do have one question for you, Carissa.”

At her look, he asks her, “Why do you rub your arm?”

She pales, and her hand goes to her arm.  Damon gently grabs it, and pulling back the hand, he looks at what is under it.  Then his visage darken, and his eyes turn blood red with the blue remaining, his veins black around them.  His growl rolls out at the same time as the storm picks up in its fury outside.

[ ](http://kittyinaz.files.wordpress.com/2012/12/vamped-out-3-damon-salvatore-17365381-400-597.jpg)

“Who?” It is growled out, and there is no mistaking his fury as the lightning outside punctuates his question.

She answered him evenly, “That was where James bit me, and Edward sucked out the venom.”

Damon takes a deep breath, then his eye flick to Bella’s in shock as she touches his fangs.  He stands totally still as she does so, his body trembling as she touches them.  His eyes fade back and he kisses her fingers. “That was either foolhardy, or the bravest thing I have witnessed.”

She locks gazes with him as she asks, “Why?  You won’t ever hurt me, right?  And I was curious.”

He smiles, “No, I will never hurt you.  And feel free to be as curious as you like.”  The smirk she is guessing he is known for reappears.

She pushes him away and gathers the laptop from its place and puts it back away.  She pauses, then asks Damon, “Please come here.”

Without a pause, he is beside her.  She takes his hand and tells him as she places his finger on the same spot as hers earlier, “I might as well put you into the system.  You need to hold your finger here for 30 seconds lightly.  The sensor in the wood will register your heat, or at least I am hoping it will.  After that, press it harder and it will read your fingerprint.” What she is not telling him is that this is also the system that will activate the touchpad for the security.

He smiles as the system registers him with no problem. “Smart for the body temperature.” He watches as she puts the laptop inside.  He turns and quickly organizes her piles back into where they were.  He then bows, “My lady, if you would lead me?”

She grins and heads out of the room, she pauses and asks softly, nervously, “Damon, are you leaving tonight?”

He is by her side in a second, “Not unless you want me to.”

She smiles, then heads to a picture that was part of a collage on the wall and taps the frame.  It darkens into a keypad and she taps a number on it, glancing at him to make sure he is watching.  Throughout the house, the rolling shutter close.

He chuckles, “You really love your gadgets don’t you?”

Bella grins. “Yep.”

She walks into the family room and before she can sit, Damon is there pulling her down into the chair on top of him. “You really love your abilities, don’t you?” She retorts.

Damon laughs. “Yep.”  He grabs the blanket that is hanging off the side and wraps them into it.  When they are both comfortable, he reaches for her arm again.  His hands trace the mark, commenting, “It’s cooler than the rest of your body.” His voice is musing, as he tries to figure out why it is different.

She nods.  “No idea why.  Carlisle couldn’t figure it out either.  If there was venom, I should have changed.  But there is no other reason.  Jasper has never heard of someone doing that, and I can swear to it being an effective torture device if needed.” She shudders from the memory of the pain.

He nods, as his finger continues to rub it.  He then tells her softly, “I need to tell you about the others.  I hate to say this, but they will try to turn you against me.”

She murmurs, “They will fail.  Damon, I’m stubborn.”

He kisses her on her forehead as he mutters, “Don’t I know it!  It took some persuasion and not a little bit of charm to just get your name.”  His hand trails down her arms to her hand and entwines around hers.

She grins, “You were the one who became stalkerish.  And don’t think I haven’t figured out the Raven is you.”

He laughs. “I was drawn to you.  What can I say?” He nips her throat. He cannot help it, he feels so much closer right now to her that he needs to touch, to _claim_ what is his.

She laughs, “And you think Edward was odd.  He at least was there in person.”

Damon grins as he is kissing her neck, “And you think I wasn’t?  The raven is not only my familiar, but often the animal I turn into the most.  By the way, you need to give that contractor a bonus.  He effectively kept me out of the house.” He feels the vibration in chest starting again and just enjoys the moment.

Bella laughs, and they continue to spend the night, just getting to know each other better.

* * *

**Final count, 4,243 words.**

**Fairfarren~Wendy**


	8. I’m Bared Boned and Crazy for You

# I’m Bared Boned and Crazy for You

**[ ](http://kittyinaz.files.wordpress.com/2012/12/20130106-085319.jpg) **

**Pre Edit Count -   2,415 Words**

_Song I listened to for this chapter: Crash Into Me_ by Dave Mathew Band.

* * *

_Previous:_

_He nods, as his finger continues to rub it.  He then tells her softly, “I need to tell you about the others.  I hate to say this, but they will try to turn you against me.”_

_She murmurs, “They will fail.  Damon, I’m stubborn.”_

_He kisses her on her forehead as he mutters, “Don’t I know it!  It took some persuasion and not a little bit of charm to just get your name.”  His hand trails down her arms to her hand and entwines around hers._

_She grins, “You were the one who became stalkerish.  And don’t think I haven’t figured out the Raven is you.”_

_He laughs. “I was drawn to you.  What can I say?” He nips her throat. He cannot help it, he feels so much closer right now to her that he needs to touch, to claim what is his._

_She laughs, “And you think Edward was odd.  He at least was there in person.”_

_Damon grins as he is kissing her neck, “And you think I wasn’t?  The raven is not only my familiar, but often the animal I turn into the most.  By the way, you need to give that contractor a bonus.  He effectively kept me out of the house.” He feels the vibration in chest starting again and just enjoys the moment._

_Bella laughs, and they continue to spend the night, just getting to know each other better._

_Now:_

* * *

The early morning light creeps across the valley of Mystic Falls falling its easy light on the town and a plantation where two soul mates are lying in the protected confines of it. The two are entwined in each other, but the male holds the female in a safe cocoon of his body, as though he is protecting the most important thing in the world.

When Bella wakes, she is at first startled at the warm body holding her, but then relaxes back into Damon.  She is rewarded by his arm tightening around her as he pulls her closer to him and him nuzzling her hair.

She smiles as she sleepily comments, “Do you know how awesome it is that you sleep?” her hand is playing with his arms as they hold her.

His voice husky from sleep, he answers her, “How boring would that be to be always awake?  Then there will be no cuddling in bed.  In fact, other than sex, what use is a bed?” He lazily smiles as he enjoys waking up with her in his arms.  Last night had been wonderful as they had talked.  Nothing more than talk, but he cannot remember an evening he has enjoyed more.  But to fall asleep with her in his arms?  Heaven…

She can’t help but laugh at his lazy comments, “And that right there is why the hundred year virgin had no bed in his room.” She remembers the shock when all she saw was a couch.  And how that had actually made her think of never sleeping again if she became like him.

He laughs as he nuzzles her, “A virgin?  After a hundred years?  What is wrong with him?” Really.  To have someone like Bella and not want to have her be his in every way possible?  Mind Boggling.  And he will have Bella as his.

Bella answers him as she turns to him, “Mind reading.”

Damon kisses her on the lips gently then murmurs, “His loss, my gain.  And I won’t be stupid to lose you, my Carissia.” ( _Dearest_ )He is studying her this morning, committing her face to memory, and knowing he will do it all over again every chance he gets.

She asks, “What happened to Stella?” She can see the growth of his chin hair and as everything else, is amazed that his body lives, as hers does, it just needs blood in addition to everything else.

He is smiling as he answers, “You mean more to me today.  Don’t worry, my stellina, you will always be the luce dei miei occhi. ( _Light of my eye_ )”

She looks up at him and asks, “And how are you still single?  You’re nothing more than a huge romantic.”  And mine….

He laughs again, as he tells her, “Because no one but one other person has seen this.  And she threw it away for my brother.”  Strangely, the pain is lessoning from that betrayal and others like it over the years.

She quips back, “Her loss, my gain.”

He pulls her on top of him as he grins up at her.  “I can easily see us spending the rest of our life like this.” One hand on her hip, the other is lazily stroking her body, enjoying it and the chance to feel her this way.

She is grinning back at him, relaxing into him and the magic his hands are doing to her body.  Her head rests on his chest her hand helping her to look down at him.  Then her brain kicks in and she starts to think, “Damon, if the Salvatores are a Founding Family, what are your connections to The Original Family?  Isobel had commented on it.  And where is your home?”

[ ](http://kittyinaz.files.wordpress.com/2012/12/glenridge_hall.jpg)

He sighs, “Out in the woods, a shell of itself.  Stefan and I kept a member of the family in the boarding house.  That is where I am living, with my brother, and his girlfriend.” He would love to restore the house, and now that Bella is here, he might actually do it.  Make new memories to replace the feelings and memories in the old one.

Remembering their talk last night, Bella goes over the people in his life.  She laughs as she remembers which one is his brother’s girlfriend. “The one that looks like both of your’s ex.”

“Yep.”

She thinks on it, “How odd is that?” She couldn’t even fathom it.  To be so in love with one woman and loving his brother the same, he let her be with his brother.  Then to have them both betray him.  No wonder he has problems with trust.

Damon is rubbing her back as he thinks on his answer.  He finally tells her, “Odd.  I have no idea if the similarities drew me or the differences.  Either way, I don’t really think my brother loves her.”

She glances down at him and asks, “What?”

[ ](http://kittyinaz.files.wordpress.com/2012/12/stefan-and-katherine.jpg)

He gazes at her as he tells her, “Stefan is enamored of Katherine.  Always has been.  And now that I found you, I can see what I had was the same as you did for Edward, an obsession, a fascination.  Nothing like what I feel for you.  I don’t think it is love, yet, but I can see that happening.  Stefan, is the tragic one, the one who always looks like he is pining.  Elena can do better than him, but she is unwilling to be adventurous since her parents died.  And nothing has happened since they have been together to allow her to grow past it.”

Bella sighs, “Nothing is easy is it?”

He says softly, “We are.  The others stuff will only affect us as much as we allow it.  I have obligations I cannot allow to fall by the wayside, as much as I wish I could now.  But if you don’t-“

Bella silences him with a kiss.  As they come up for air, his eyes search hers. “Damon, I will help.  Besides, I think you need me.  You would be still on that Sun and Moon curse if it wasn’t for me.” She gives him a cheeky grin as she looks down at him.

He smiles briefly, then his face get serious, “If you were serious about having my blood, then we will do that before you get involved.  There are too many factors going on, and I don’t want to take a chance.”

She smiles, nodding.  He sits up with her in his lap, turning her.  With her back to him, he raises his wrist to bite, but before he can, he is stopped by her hand.  He lifts an eyebrow at her.

She tells him softly, “If you are going to give me yours, then take mine.” She has no idea why she feels strongly on this, but she does.  If she takes his, he will take hers in an exchange.

Damon’s head jerks back and then he says softly, “Are you sure, my Carissia?”

She shyly smiles as she asks, “Will it hurt?”  At his negative answer, “then yes.”

He stares into her eyes, and reading the truth, he raises his wrist, his fangs drop and he bites.  He then offers it to her, his eyes closing in lust as she drinks from him.  He kisses her neck, and finding the place he wanted, he carefully bites her.  His eyes roll back completely at the taste of her. It is nothing but sweet ambrosia to him.

Bella gasps as she felt the slick pinprick of his fangs in her, but relaxes as all she feels is a gentle pull.  After a minute, Damon licks her neck clean, not a drop to be wasted.  When she went to stop, he entreats her softly, “Just a little more.  I want to make sure you don’t have a mark, carissia.”  When he is sure she won’t mark, he lets the wound heal.

She falls back into his arms, and he pulls her close to him as he is leaning against the headboard. They both relax into each other.  Damon’s arms wrap around her closely, molding her body to his as he gets control over himself.

Damon tells her softly, “That was certainly different.  And isn’t there something you wish to tell me?” a smirk appears as he realizes what a gem he has found.

Bella blushes as she mutters, “Didn’t want to embarrass myself.”

He kisses her as he tells her, “I will be blunt, my carrisia.  I love the fact that you are a virgin.  And yes, to someone like me, I can tell the difference from your blood.  But, I can also taste…something unique.”

She snorts, “And this is when you go all caveman on me?”

Damon laughs. “Yes and no.  You’re mine.  I don’t think there is any question is there, mia carrisia?”  At her nod, he continues, “All that means is that I will be your first and last.  I will make sure of that.”

Before she could retort, Damon’s cell phone goes off.  He groans, then lifting her and putting her to bed beside him, leans down to grab it out of his pants.

[ ](http://kittyinaz.files.wordpress.com/2012/12/damon-36.png)

“Yeah.”

Bella lifts an eyebrow at him, and he grins briefly.

Then he gets slightly irritated, “Well Daddy Stefan, I figured that being over a 140 years old and your older brother gives me the right to do what I wanted without informing you.”

Bella laughs.

Damon then gets angry, “No, that is not one of my brainless twits.  And no it isn’t any of your business.”

Noticing how angry he is at whatever Stefan is saying, Bella snuggles up to him.  He automatically puts an arm around her holding her to him.  He finally growls out, “Enough. I’ll be home when I want to.” With that he turns off the phone.

Snuggling into him, she quietly says to him, “He cares.”

Damon snorted.  “He’s nosy.  He also told me he knows the storm last night was me, and I should have more control than that.  As if he knew what I was going through!”

Bella can’t help herself, she laughs.  When Damon looks at her as though he is offended, she asks him, “Think, Damon.  How long ago would it have been that you would have had a brainless twit?”

He growls, “I told you that was the past, my carissia!”

Bella can’t help but to laugh again. “Damon!  I know.  I am asking how do you expect your brother to understand?  You told me yourself that it is rare!”

He pulls her towards him as he tells her, “I can’t help it.  As I said, I don’t know how to explain this, but I can’t let someone insult you.  Bella. Mia carissia, please don’t walk away.” His voice is begging at the end.

Bella can understand where he is coming from, all his past relationships have pushed him away or left.  No one seemed to want him for him.  And then she comes along, a complete stranger, and something that is so rare that most of his kind have no idea about, happens to him.  He finds his other half, and is now scared that all the things he did to get here will come back and bite him.  He has been convinced by Elena and Stefan that he deserves it.

But Bella herself has been there.  And she genuinely cares for Damon.  She may not have the pull he does, but she does feel something for him.   And like him, is not willing to let go of whatever this is between them.  Like he said, it was more than she ever felt for Edward.

“Damon, look at me.  I am not going to be walking away.  I don’t want you to be away from me longer than you need to be.  I never wanted to be that couple, joined at the hip.  But now?  I can’t imagine you not being here.  It is fast, we both know this, but I think we are both old enough to know ourselves. So let it go.  As long as we are happy, then what does it matter about the others?  We will prove them all wrong and in a couple of hundred years, we can laugh at them.”

With that, Damon grins. “As you say, Stella.  Now, can I treat you to breakfast, mia cara?”

Bella quips back, “I can get used to this quite easily.”

He kisses her forehead as he tells her, “That’s the idea.  Ruin you for anyone else.”  He gets out of bed, grabbing his jeans and putting them on.

[ ](http://kittyinaz.files.wordpress.com/2012/12/damon-26.jpg)

Bella openly admires the form in front of her, as he puts them on. “Miles and miles, and all mine.”

He grins, leans over the bed and kisses her. “Get moving, and I will have breakfast ready for you.  Don’t forget to unlock the house.”

With that he is gone.  Bella gets up and heads to the bathroom to get ready, calling out “Dave Mathews Band”.

* * *

As promised, Damon met her in the kitchen with eggs, pancakes and bacon.  She had unlocked the house and they headed outside to eat.  Only when she was walking outside, did she pause and ask, “Damon, how are you outside?”

He passes her, dropping a kiss on her head telling her, “Magic.”

Bella continues to the table and by the time she has set her meal down, Damon reappears with their drinks. “Magic?”

[ ](http://kittyinaz.files.wordpress.com/2012/12/damon-s-ring-the-vampire-diaries-tv-show-20503289-400-300.jpg)

He pushes in her chair and sits in the one beside her as he waives his finger with his ring on it, “Magic.”

He watches her until she starts eating then explains, “The ring has a lapis lazuli in it that has been spelled to allow me to walk in the daylight.  I have a couple of these, especially since in the last year, a favorite trick of other vampires to confine one of us is to take the ring.”

Bella stops and she incredulously asks, “That is what you are risking your life on is a ring?”

He chuckles.  “It has worked since the beginning.  Now that I am thinking about it, I may bring a couple of items over here just in case.  I like to keep some hidden in different places.  If that is alright with you.”  He cuts into his pancakes as he waits for her to answer.

Bella is just staring at him. “Yes, of course.  Damon, if a witch can spell one of them to protect you, can’t they just remove the spell?”

He sighs. “No, they can’t unless they are the ones that spells it.  By now I have a couple different witches that have spelled different rings and other items.  I have cufflinks and different things.  Like I said, I want to leave some here just in case.”  And he will also start acquiring a collection for Bella since she has already stated that she wanted to be turned.  He will not risk his mate on chance.

Taking a deep breathe, Bella says, “I have so much to relearn.”

He looks over at her, “Hey, look at me.”  When she looks up, he tells her, “We are in this together.  So whatever you are thinking, you need to change that to a we.”

She smiles as she chuckles.  “It will take me a little while.  I am used to thinking about and for me first.”

He smiles at her, then continues to eat.

Watching him, Bella thinks about their conversations and then asks nonchalantly, “So does this mean you are going to move in?”

Damon chokes.

Bella is watching him as she proceeds to daintily eat another bite then asks innocently, “Too soon?”

Looking up at this woman who proceeds to surprise him at every turn, he tells her, “Nope.  How soon do you want me?”

She grins as she takes another bite, “Today be too soon?  I mean, I have this huge house and it is soo lonely.  And who knows who could come in?”

Growling, Damon, pulls her into him for a kiss. “As soon as we are done, we can go grab some things.”

And it was settled as easily as that.  Too bad the world was going to intrude soon on their happiness.

* * *

**Final count, 2,971 words.**

**Fairfarren~Wendy**


	9. I’ve Never Been Perfect

# I’ve Never Been Perfect

[ ](http://kittyinaz.files.wordpress.com/2012/12/fog-and-trees.jpg)

**Pre Edit Count -   3,898 Words**

_Song I listened to for this chapter: Leave Out All The Rest by Linkin Park._

* * *

_Previous:_

_Watching him, Bella thinks about their conversations and then asks nonchalantly, “So does this mean you are going to move in?”_

_Damon chokes._

_Bella is watching him as she proceeds to daintily eat another bite then asks innocently, “Too soon?”_

_Looking up at this woman who proceeds to surprise him at every turn, he tells her, “Nope.  How soon do you want me?”_

_She grins as she takes another bite, “Today be too soon?  I mean, I have this huge house and it is soo lonely.  And who knows who could come in?”_

_Growling, Damon, pulls her into him for a kiss. “As soon as we are done, we can go grab some things.”_

_And it was settled as easily as that.  Too bad the world was going to intrude soon on their happiness._

_Now:_

* * *

[ ](http://kittyinaz.files.wordpress.com/2012/12/damon-5.jpg)

After they cleaned up breakfast, Damon leans on the counter and asks, “So…how are we going to do this?” He isn’t going to admit it in so many words, but he is eager for this.  Bella is his future, and he cannot wait to begin it.  And he suspects that leaving the house and being here, will be better for him all around.  Brooding Stefan can be a real downer often.

Bella finishes wiping the counter and turns to him. “I don’t know, go get your stuff, maybe have you write down what you want, I can send some people over to pack it for you.  Why?” She too is eager for this to happen.  Whatever this is between them is strong, and for once, she is not fighting it.

Looking at her, he shakes his head, murmuring, “What thing did I do that was so right to gain even the possibility of you, mia carissia?” He cups her face in his hand, his eyes searching hers for any doubt.

Bella laughs, “Maybe it was me who did the thing so right.  I waited less than you to find you.” She hopes that the doubt he is looking for never surfaces.  Whatever pain this man has gone through is hopefully in the past.

He grins.  “ Touche, Carissia.  I like your plan, however, I can pay for my own movers.  You aren’t with a pauper, cara.” He says the last proudly, glad he is able to take care of his mate.

Bella laughs. “Well I didn’t think I was, but that whole used to think about me?  Ever since Twilight came out, I have been used to having to pay for things.  And now, with this” she indicates the house and the money that came with it, “It’s become an ingrained habit.” She pays for anything to do with the Pack and her father.  Even though that hasn’t been for awhile, now that she is thinking on it.

Damon takes her in his arms. “Let me in, Bella.  Let me take care of you.  I promise to try to never hurt you, nor to take away your independence.  But I _need_ to take care of you.  Making you breakfast, making sure you never get to lost in your work that you forget to eat, I want this.” He has always had this need to take care of people, but he has been hurt so many times.  This time, he thinks, _hopes_  it will be different. It is because of this, that he is trying to show her what he is, how he is.  He has the feeling he will not be able to take her rejection, that this one will break him.

Sighing and relaxing in his arms, where it really feels more like home than anything else, she tells him, “I will try, Damon.  Just be patient.”  She listens to, what is for her a very welcome sound, his heartbeat.

He nods and kisses her head, “That I can be.  Now, the more important question is, are you ready to face the firing squad?”  He is uneasy about this, but she had been insistent about it.  She told him that she didn’t want to be away from him, and when he thought about it, he is the same.  But he is not happy about her going with him, knowing how nasty that group can be.  Though, it may just be time for them to know how nice he has been with them.

[ ](http://kittyinaz.files.wordpress.com/2012/12/cast.jpg)

Bella laughs. “You know it is odd knowing that instead of them protecting you from me, they are going to be trying to split us up.” She is grinning up at him, her eyes showing her mischievousness.

Damon growls, “I am glad you think it is funny.  I’m more worried.  This group is not above using magic to try to separate us, my carissia.” And that there is the thing he worries about.  Bonnie and her damn magic worries him.  But she is sworn to protect human life, and Bella is as human as they come…

Bella looks up at him, “I really like to see them try.  Now come, we have enough to do today.  I really want to dive back into those books and see what we can find out.” She is curious, and feeling like time is trying to run out on them. Which she is confused, they only met days ago, why is she feeling such a rush to settle their relationship?

He laughs, “You really love what you do, don’t you?  I think you and Alaric could be friends.” As they walk out of the kitchen to the table where Bella usually leaves her keys and such.  Last night, Damon had tossed his wallet there as they made their way to bed, not even thinking about it.

Bella shakes her head as she gathers her keys and slides her cards into her back pocket.  She turns to him, “Now are you riding with me or flying?” And she grins at him, as she watches his wallet disappear into his jacket that he had just put on.

When he growls and jumps at her, she laughs as she tosses her keys to him.  He grabs them out of the air and wraps an arm around her shoulders as he pulls her close for a kiss on her head.  He opens the door to the garage, letting her pass first under his arm as he watches her and uses his senses to check the area around them.

“Wow, I got myself a gentleman!”

[ ](http://kittyinaz.files.wordpress.com/2012/12/damon-6.jpg)

As he opens her car door for her, he teases, “An actual bona fide Landed Southern Italian gentleman.  Since I am the eldest of the family, the plantation and the rest are mine.” He is leaning on the door, as the garage door is opened, watching her get into her seat, then closes the door for her.  He quickly vamps to the driver’s door.

Bella bats her eye lashes at him as he gets in and starts the vehicle. He laughs at her as he adjusts the mirrors and the seat.  Bella comments, “Use the second setting for yourself.”

Damon glances at her and he replies, “You are really having no problem with this.” His voice is soft, but there is happiness in it.  Along with the wonder of how this could be for him. He starts the vehicle and backs them out, and is soon on their way.

Looking out at the window she tells him softly, “Damon, as amazed as you are by all this, don’t you think I am in the same position.  I could never be in a relationship because there was always the chance that someone would find out.  And depending on the person, would depend if I had a chance to live.  Now I have found someone that is perfectly matched for me, loves my snarkiness, and has no problems with the secrets and in fact tries to help me.”  She looks at him, “I never wanted to be lonely.  And now you are offering me the chance to not only not be lonely, but to find love with someone I am genuinely finding appealing in every way, can you not blame me for not wanting to grab on?” Her voice is quiet, but strong.  She means every word she has said, she is enjoying this connection with him.

He glances at her, “No.  Not when I am doing the same exact thing.” Or dancing a jig in his mind as he realizes that this is real, that she is here and his.

Bella nods.  She then asks, “So do you need an extra refrigerator or what for the blood bags?” She has turned and her mischievous grin is hidden, but she just can’t help it.  She loves throwing him off course.

He laughs, startled into it, as he had been starting to plan what to do when he got to the boarding house and how to protect her.  In short, he was starting to worry.  “You know, you would think after you having the ability to shock me time after time, that I would be used to it.  But I would need a freezer.  But since Stefan can’t handle human blood, I can have the one I use moved to the plantation.”

Nodding, she asks, “What else will we need?” Honestly wanting to know what they will be needing, and how much she will be storing, or trading it back to the Boarding house.

Damon reaches out and holding her hand, admits, “Not much.  I really didn’t plan to stay here this long.  I want to leave stuff at the Boarding house.  And sooner or later move some of your clothes over there.  You will never know when you might need another place.  But really, there is not much.  I will show you what I want to be moved, and if you agree, we will do so.”  He squeezes her hand as he thinks.  Yes, he will defend this woman.  She is his.

Bella chuckles. “Damon, I am not that attached to anything in my house besides the kitchen and my room.  So if we do a switch out, it really won’t bother me.” Really not bother her.  She will enjoy having their belongings mix together…

He raises her hand up and kisses it.  “Oh and my car.  That is a no gives thing.”

Laughing, Bella told him, “There is a place for another car.  I have my Corvette being delivered next week. But that is the beauty of the large garage, more room for cars.” She is enjoying this, and it is making her feel so giddy actually.

He shakes his head as he maneuvers the Porsche into the driveway.  As they pull in they can that there are a bunch of cars already here.  Damon sighs. “Are you ready?”

Bella grins. “To meet your brooding brother, the woman who resembles your ex, the vampire that used to be your fuck and feed, the man that you killed his wife and a witch?  Of course!” And oddly enough, there is no jealousy.

Shaking his head, he gets out and is by her door in a second.  He opens it, telling her, “Now go easy on them.  They all think they are acting in your best interest.  Even though they have no idea that you are going to be there.” His eyes are merry with his teasing.

She laughs, taking his arm as they walk to the door, he opening it and letting her preceded him as they walk through.  He comments softly to her, “Do you think we can make it to my room before they intercede?”

“Damon!”

Bella shakes her head, “Nope.”

* * *

[ ](http://kittyinaz.files.wordpress.com/2012/12/300px-stefan_elena_and_damon_haunted_clip_13.jpg)

Elena had been waiting with the rest of them for Damon.  They wanted to know he was OK,  and what had caused him to form the storm last night.  It had frightened her when she realized exactly how strong Damon was.  She knew he was cocky, and often acted like nothing could affect him, but to realize exactly why he can act like that is…offsetting.

Stefan had been upset when he hadn’t come home and the weather had gotten worse.  When he called him, he was even angrier that Damon had been with one of his sorority girls.  Then shocked when Damon had defended the woman.

So now they are all waiting for him, trying to figure out what is going on with the vampire.

Stefan sat up then growls.  “I can’t believe he brought his trollop with him!”

Elena looks at him shocked.

Without a pause, Stefan calls out, “Damon!”

Imagine them all shocked as Damon comes in, with a beautiful brunette on his arm.  And even more shocked when he took her over to a chair and seats them both in it. They sat there, then the brunette asks, “Well, who is going to shoot first?”

[ ](http://kittyinaz.files.wordpress.com/2012/12/elena.jpg)

Elena frowns and repeats, “Shoot first?”

The brunette nods, “Yep.  I figured out by the call and the way you guys are all lined up that this is a firing squad.”  At Elena’s shocked look, she tells her, “Oh you may not be firing bullets, but the shots you are planning to say probably will end up hurting Damon just as much.”

Stefan spat out, “What about you?” He is even more worried seeing Damon with the woman from the Grill.  The one who couldn’t be compelled…

She cocks an eyebrow at him, “I’m guessing you are Stefan, right?  Well what about me?  And don’t think you scare me.  Been there, dealt with a broody vampire, animal blood and all that, been bitten by a vampire of another type and so on.” She is staring at them all with a challenge in her eyes.  Damon is sitting there, enjoying the fact that someone, for once, is defending him of their own will.  His arm around her tightens.

They all stare at her in shock.  She shakes her head.  “Let me see, we have pointed out the brother, the girlfriend who happens to be a doppelganger must be the one who looks shocked and hurt.  The ex-turned vamp is Blondie, you are right Damon, she does looks like a Barbie doll.  That leaves you two, the vampire hunter, who I need to talk to, and the witch who hates Damon.”  After a pause she asks, “Am I right?”

Damon throws back his head in laughter as he takes in their shocked looks. “Ahh, mia carissia, you are right on.  But then I am not that shocked.” Not with how she is on her research.  He had given enough clues.

He then takes in Stefan and tells him, “Stefan, meet Bella.  You might as well get used to her, she will be around for a long time.” He is his brother, and he is now realizing that he would have never met Bella if Stefan hadn’t made him finish the transition.

Elena feels like she has fallen into the twilight zone.  “I don’t understand.”

Damon looks at her, and his eyes soften just a bit, then he looks at Bella and his face, for a second, shows his true feelings for her.  And that look tells it all.  He is completely taken with this woman.

Bella looks at her and smiles gently. “I’m Bella Swan.  And I may as well get this out of the way.  Per what Damon and I are finding out, I am related to an Elijah Mikaelson, and the last remaining descendant of him and Edward Moutin Sr.  I am also the last LeBada or in English Swan.  My father is alive, but he wants nothing to do with any of it.   I dated a vampire not of the species you know of at the age of seventeen.  It ended tragically, and I have been keeping to the background the rest of my life.  I moved here after I graduated with my doctorates in English and Archaeology and my specialty is Supernatural.  I take all those tales and make them fit the world that the general public knows about.  Personally I gather information to try to keep myself alive since the other vampires left me alive in a world that has one rule, keep the secret.  If someone finds out, either turn them or kill them.” She shrugs, but for her this is her life.

They are all staring at her.

Damon had started to growl and held her closer. He hates when she admits the rule, and acts like it is not a big deal.  He will kill to keep her.

She cocks her head and tells Alaric, “For some unknown reason, after I returned back to Dartmouth after seeing what changes needed to be taken at the Moutin Plantation, I had a box from an Isobel Fleming.”

Both Alaric and Elena’s eyes widen.

“I had no time to go through it really, but had seen the name Mystic Falls in it.  I spent the time between then and now getting ready for graduation and getting the house here. When I moved in two days ago, I unpacked the box.  After dinner, and meeting Mr. Don’t-Take-A-Hint here, I went home and opened my last box, which is what she sent me.  I found out some information about me personally, and about you, Elena.”

Elena looks surprised as she asks, “Me?”

Bella nods. “You are the current Doppelganger.  The Sun and Moon curse is false.  It is to find the doppelganger, making the entire supernatural world be on the lookout for you.  The real reason is that you are to die in a ceremony that will release a person called Klaus from a curse his mother placed on him.  It is rumored that he is related to my ancestor, Elijah.  But I am working on that.”

Alaric speaks and asks, “How do you know all of this?”

Damon grins and looks at Alaric . “She is a badass researcher.  You should see how organized she is.  But that is what she does.  She had come across variations of the Sun and Moon curse in the past and wondered why they were all alike.  She researched it since it popped up often during her research for her thesis.  But the information we are going through from Isobel is revealing a lot.  Bella is going to want to pick your brain Alaric.  If that is OK?”

[ ](http://kittyinaz.files.wordpress.com/2012/12/alaric-saltzman.png)

Still looking stunned, Alaric nods.

Bella looks at all of them, “I am here to help.  But, you have to understand that while I know tons about my vampires, shifters and even the Children of the Moon, well not as much as I like to, but there is quite a bit information I had found on them too.  But your kind, and witches?  Nope.  I have quite a bit in my research that Damon is going to help me go through and see how much I discounted is actually correct.”

[ ](http://kittyinaz.files.wordpress.com/2012/12/bonnie-vampire-diaries.jpg)

Bonnie finally asks, “Why not ask us yourself?” She is offended that this woman thinks she is going to find out everything by books.  Conveniently forgetting that is where most of her learning has come from.

Bella turns her head to the witch and asks, “Because will you help me even if I am with Damon?” She is frank, knowing the answer already from Damon’s comments about the witch.

She turns her head to the rest of them. “You may not understand it, but you will not interfere with us.  It won’t work.  Now before you all ask, let me tell you something. I have been trained to enhance a quirk in my head.  I can’t be compelled.  If you want proof, I will allow Stefan to try right here.” She is confident, even though she can feel Damon’s body grow rigid at even the suggestion of him compelling her or someone else.  He knows she can’t be compelled, but for her to suggest another…

Alaric objected, “He is not a good test, he drinks animal blood and we all know Damon is stronger than him either way.”

Bonnie humphed.  “And Damon can compel someone not to be compelled.  Only someone stronger than him can break it.”

Elena hesitantly speaks up, “What about Elijah?” She ignores the way even saying his name makes her feel.  She has been fighting this, this attraction to the man who had her kidnapped, then rescues her.

Bella’s head turns to her. “Elijah… what is his last name.”

Elena squirms in her seat, “I have no idea.  But I can call him, if you would like.”

Bella turns to Damon and raises an eyebrow.  She has no idea what to do.  Does she want to meet her possible ancestor?

Damon looks at his carissia, and he murmurs, “It is up to you, mia carissia.  I will support you no matter what.  If you want to meet him now, I will be here.  If you want to do more research, I will be helping you and then standing with you when you meet him.  Whatever makes you more comfortable.”

Elena is shocked by the tenderness in Damon, the caring he is showing for this female.  It makes her long for the same.  She glances at Stefan.

[ ](http://kittyinaz.files.wordpress.com/2012/12/stefan.png)

Stefan is pissed.  How dare Damon bring in a new person, a person who might endanger Elena?  Their job is to protect her!

Bonnie is watching the two with surprise in her face.  Damon is a killer, that she has no doubt about, but the way he has held, acted and been with the woman is not his normal behavior. Asking what she wants to do instead of telling her?

The so far quiet Caroline is just watching the two of them. She is alone in her estimation that this is what Damon has needed.  And he has fallen hard for her, and for once, the other person feels the same for him.  While she hated Damon for what he did to her, she also has realized the pain he hides from the rest of them on a daily basis.

Alaric is just wanting to find out what Isobel sent Bella and why.

Finally Bonnie asks, “You know he has killed and will do it again.  He is a human drinker.” She doesn’t like this stranger, but she will try to warn her.

Bella laughs. “Finally.  I thought this would happen a lot sooner, and that it would be Stefan who would try this.”  Then her eyes turn hard. “If you think that would scare me off, you have something else coming to you, witch.  What Damon has done in the past, is in the past.  Am I glad he took human lives to be what he is?  Not really.  But he is a vampire.  I know firsthand how weak animal blood is to a vampire.  I will never begrudge him his food, just as he would never begrudge me mine.  You are reacting out of fear, and in a way you are doing what your body is programmed for.  To put it basically, every type of creature out there has something that hunts it.  Sadly, humans seem to be the top of the predator list for most of the animals in the world.  But there had to be something else that hunted them, to restore the balance.  There are more humans on this planet doing what they will because they believe there is nothing to take them out but each other.  Nature itself called for the vampires.  And that is maybe why there are two different types.  Vampires have their foe, the Children of the Moon.  So it all balances out.  You as a witch, should know this I would think.  From what I remember, the witches are all about balance.”

Bonnie stares at her and she cries out, “But he kills humans!”

Bella retorts, “And you kill bunnies and Bambi whenever you send a vampire to drink animal blood. And even Humans if you kill their source for food!”

She turns to Stefan, “I know you are different, Stefan and there is a real reason for you to not partake of human blood, but do you not need to feed more than Damon?”

He reluctantly nods to her.

Bella nods, “As did the veggie vamps that I knew did the same.  Now because of that, they could easily depopulate the surrounding area of the wildlife.  And whatever they hunt, because they went after the carnivores since they are closer to humans, which allowed the wildlife that should be kept in check to go out of control which kills the surrounding forest.  It is a lethal cycle that exists because 7 vampires refuse to be themselves.  They also are more likely to attack a human because they are consistently hungry.  Been there done that, have the scars to prove it.”

Bella rubs her arm, and Damon places his hand on it.  She smiles and then turns back to Bonnie, “So if you are asking me, I want you to know that I fully support my boyfriend eating what he needs to never attack me or my friends.”

Alaric is taken aback by what she has told.  It makes total sense, but then…”So you are saying I shouldn’t hunt Vampires?”

Bella laughs, “Obviously you have levels.  You probably hunt the irresponsible ones.  Go for it.”  Then her eyes turn hard, “But don’t come after me and mine.”

Stefan is just shocked.  His mouth keeps opening and closing.

Bella takes pity on him. “Stefan, one vampire who is careful about hunting is fine.  I knew 7 who did it sometimes every day.  From what I gather from Damon, you even eat the bunnies.  You have a reason for it.  You are a ripper.  And if this is the way you maintain control, then that is fine.  Just don’t condemn others that are doing their jobs.”

Bonnie stands up, angry. “Who the hell are you to judge us?”

Bella shot up and is in Bonnie’s face, “I am the one that is being judged.  Damon is the other.  Just because your grandmother was killed, is not Damon’s fault.  He had no idea what opening that vault would do.  And he does regret it.  But you have it set in your head he was the bad guy, and because he feels guilt, he allows you to heap it on him.  For you to attack him with your head trick.  But that ends now.  Get on with your life.”

Bonnie’s eyes flash and Damon dives out of the chair to get to Bella, but before he can, Bonnie falls to the ground screaming.

Stefan is by her side and glares at Bella. “Stop it!”

Bella shakes her head. “I told her that I had a quirk.  That quirk allows my head to belong to me.  So whatever she is suffering from, she tried to do to me. Poetic justice, I believe.”

She moves to Damon’s side and he pulls her to him, holding her close.  “I believe that has been enough of the Grill Bella time for today.” He running his hand down her back, and unknown to all but Stefan, his chest is doing that purr that it had done last night. “I am going to be with Bella, we will be out of your hair here shortly.” With that he moves, and before they realize what he is doing, they are both gone and a door slams upstairs.

Elena is by Bonnie’s side as is Caroline.  She looks to Stefan, “Will she be alright?”

Stefan opens a vein, forcing Bonnie to drink it.  His words are clipped as he tells her, “Once she heals she will be.  What she does is cause our synopsis to misfire.  It hurts like hell for us, but could possibly kill a human.  Luckily she stopped sending it when it bounced back to her.”

Caroline shakes her head, “I’ve told her in the past to watch doing that, one of these times it will be visited back on her.  Stefan what is Bella?”

Alaric is the one who answers her, “A shield.  They are a rare being, so rare I have not heard of one in centuries.  But Bonnie’s attack shows that she was right, she cannot be compelled, nor can anything get in that head of hers.”

Stefan looks at him, “Are you sure?  That she is with him because she wants to be?”

Caroline snaps at him, “Stefan!  There are times you show the infamous Salvatore indifference.  And this is one of them.  All Damon has wanted all his life is for someone to want him for himself.  And here is someone who is doing that.  Stop being hateful towards him.”

Damon’s voice comes from the doorway, “Don’t worry, Barbie.  It will take a while.  Alaric, Bella would like you to join her sometime at her home.  She wants to share with you what Isobel has sent her.  Elena, you are welcome, but I warn you, it is all research material.”

He looks at them all and smirks, “Now, I am going home with that awesome woman, and I bid you adieu!”  With that he leaves.

* * *

**Final count, 4,851 words.**

**Fairfarren~Wendy**


	10. Dream of Paradise

# Dream of Paradise

**[ ](http://kittyinaz.files.wordpress.com/2012/12/blueboatorangeleaves-cindydyerwordpress.jpg) **

###### Photo ‘Blue Boat Orange Leaves’ owned by [www.CindyDyer.WordPress.com](http://www.CindyDyer.WordPress.com)

**Pre Edit Count -   3,177 Words**

_Song I listened to for this chapter: Paradise_ by Coldplay.

* * *

_Previous:_

_Elena is by Bonnie’s side as is Caroline.  She looks to Stefan, “Will she be alright?”_

_Stefan opens a vein, forcing Bonnie to drink it.  His words are clipped as he tells her, “Once she heals she will be.  What she does is cause our synopsis to misfire.  It hurts like hell for us, but could possibly kill a human.  Luckily she stopped sending it when it bounced back to her.”_

_Caroline shakes her head, “I’ve told her in the past to watch doing that, one of these times it will be visited back on her.  Stefan what is Bella?”_

_Alaric is the one who answers her, “A shield.  They are a rare being, so rare I have not heard of one in centuries.  But Bonnie’s attack shows that she was right, she cannot be compelled, nor can anything get in that head of hers.”_

_Stefan looks at him, “Are you sure?  That she is with him because she wants to be?”_

_Caroline snaps at him, “Stefan!  There are times you show the infamous Salvatore indifference.  And this is one of them.  All Damon has wanted all his life is for someone to want him for himself.  And here is someone who is doing that.  Stop being hateful towards him.”_

_Damon’s voice comes from the doorway, “Don’t worry, Barbie.  It will take a while.  Alaric, Bella would like you to join her sometime at her home.  She wants to share with you what Isobel has sent her.  Elena, you are welcome, but I warn you, it is all research material.”_

_He looks at them all and smirks, “Now, I am going home with that awesome woman, and I bid you adieu!”  With that he leaves._

_Now:_

* * *

[ ](http://kittyinaz.files.wordpress.com/2012/12/damon-16.png)

When Damon had whisked Bella upstairs, he had deposited her on his bed then proceeded to check her for any damage.  When she caught his face, it is worried. “You felt nothing?”

Bella grabs his face and holds him in front of her, where he can see her eyes as she talks to him.  “Damon, I am fine.  Edward couldn’t read my mind, you can’t compel me.  I am fine.” She wants that look gone from his face.

Damon kneels beside the bed, pulling her towards him.  “Mia Carissia, my heart dropped when I realized what she was doing.  It can kill a human!” His heart is in fact beating stronger than normal, and she realizes how scared he must have been.

Bella shakes her head and states to him, “But I am fine.  And if it did kill me, your blood is in me.  I would just turn.  Now, please get the things you need to, and let’s leave.  I’ve had enough of these people.  Alaric and Elena are welcome to my home, no one else.” Her voice turned hard at the end.  How could these people expect Damon to be a better person when they treated him like this?

Damon nods, willing to do whatever she wants right now.  He can’t explain how scared he was to her. He had realized that as much as he tells himself it is too soon for love, that moment told him that he truly loves this woman in front of him.  The thought of her not here had terrified him. Getting his mind back to the here and now, he informs her, “Unless you ask them in, the vampires cannot enter your home.” And he will be looking at options for when she does turn.  If this is a worry, he will fix it.

She looks up at him, as she watches him grab a bag and start packing.  “So you are safe if you are in the house too?” She does not want others in their home.  She needs him to have a safe place, one he knows that will not be attacked in.

He nods as he uses his vamp speed to pack.  He also manages to grab his cuff-links and other items that he has collected over the years, including a ring he had bought when he had his current ring done.  The spells are a rare combination and should help protect the recipient of it.  He grins as he grabs that one. He actually has someone that he wants to give it to.  He also, knowing Carol Lockwood, grabs his suits and have them on the bed, along with some other items.

[ ](http://kittyinaz.files.wordpress.com/2012/12/damons-bathroomroom.jpg)

Bella is watching the blur and when he disappears from the room to another, she follows him and stops.  “Wow.” The room in front of her is amazing.  She had seen a lot of bathrooms when she had looked for ones for her own, but this is amazing.

The whole room was painted in cream, but his open shower was surrounded in stone.  The large bathtub looked comfortable for two.  The whole room gave the impression of masculinity.  She could feel comfortable here, and it just gave the impression of Damon.

Damon came to a stop in front of her, “Like?” His eyes as always, searching her face.  He can’t ever get enough of her.  Every time he could, he rememorized her face, comparing it to his perfect memory of the prior time.

She grins up at him, “Very.”

He leans down and tells her in her ear, “We can always stop back here one day and use it…” His eyes gleaming as he thought of her naked with him.

Bella laughs, “While it is nice, not that nice.  Not when I have a perfectly good bathroom of my own.” She is very amused.  But she will not come back here for a bath when they have a perfectly good tub at her house.  It’s not worth the remarks from the others.

Damon leans down, cupping her face in his hands, kissing her slowly.  When he is done, he then asks, lips brushing hers, “Hopefully we can make use of it together soon?” His eyes looking into hers.

Bella blushes.

He chuckles, then leans forward to kiss her on her forehead as he informs her, “When you are ready, mia carissia, when you are ready.  We have all of eternity at our feet.”

Bella teases him, “And I have a feeling once we start, there will be no stopping you.” Looking up at him with her trust showing in her brown eyes, and she can see his soften in reply, his hands gentle on her face as he stares down at her.

Mischievous eyes sparkle as he loftily says, “Oh, I hope it is more than me wanting it.” Seeing her grin in answer, he kisses her and then continues his packing.

After a couple of minutes, of vamping, but teasing her with little kisses on her neck or other places as he packs, he tells her, “I’ll meet you at the car.  I will grab enough bloodbags for a couple of days until the movers come.” She nods and takes her keys from him.  He disappears just as fast, taking a lot of stuff down to his car.  He had already deposited a lot in her SUV.

As she comes down the stairs, she hears him talking to the group in the room still.  She shakes her head and caught his head nod to go ahead out.  She grins, and slips out of the house. She didn’t want to deal with them no less than Damon wants her to see them.  Shaking her head, she wonders how they will take him leaving them to be with her.

She got into the Porsche, hitting her setting after making sure that Damon’s is programmed in.  She starts her vehicle and left.  She knows he is worried, and wanted her away from the group so they couldn’t hurt her again.  She is worried about him leaving, but knows that he is much more powerful than they realize.  She gets the impression that no one really knows how powerful he really is, and she for one didn’t mind that at all.

She pulls into the garage, leaving the door open for Damon’s car when he gets here.  She opens the back of her SUV and shakes her head.  He brought everything he thought he needed to be the well-dressed vampire.  She grabs some of the clothing and proceeds to bring it into the house and into their room.

[ ](http://kittyinaz.files.wordpress.com/2012/12/closet-jpg.jpg)

Luckily she had just moved in, so it is no difficulty to add his stuff.  She had basically built a room for a closet, not wanting to see dressers or such in her room.  This left tons of room for clothing, which is good since she is getting the impression Damon is a clothing hog.  But she also has a feeling that he will be fun to shop with.  He is a much more laid back dresser in his life, but the suits she saw tells her he cleans up quite well.

[ ](http://kittyinaz.files.wordpress.com/2012/12/damons-car.jpg)

With a smile on her face as she tries to imagine Damon in a suit, she heads back out to the garage just in time to see Damon pull in with his classic Chevy Camaro.  She laughs in pure delight as he shuts off the car. Her love of the classics will go well with him.

He is by her side at the same time the door shuts on the car. “What is so funny?” As he takes the clothes out of her arms.

She just shakes her head and tells him, “Wait until you see mine.  I have a funny idea you are going to want to drive it.  It is the only thing I splurged on when I got the first check for Twilight.” She just grabs more of the clothes from the back.  She knows he could probably unpack the cars in less time it will take her to take these upstairs, but she wants to help him move in.

He grins down at her. “I can’t wait to see what you consider a splurge. Now, let’s get the rest of this in, and settle me in.”  He nods with his head for her to proceed him.  He has never enjoyed a move more in his life.

Bella grins as she heads into the house, with him following her closely behind her.

* * *

  
[](http://kittyinaz.files.wordpress.com/2012/12/library20paneling20ceiling20luxury20house.jpg) 

[ ](http://kittyinaz.files.wordpress.com/2012/12/paneled20french20style20library.jpg)

Later that night, after a fun dinner of the two of them working in the kitchen, Damon and Bella are in the library trying to make sense of the books Isobel sent them.

Bella sighs as she mutters, “Could it hurt to _not_  write in a freaking book?  This is the third one, and I need to go page by page not to miss anything!” She drops the book on the desk as she rubs her face.  This is becoming so much more difficult than it really needs to be.

Damon chuckles. “Now here I thought you were a good researcher and read every page.”  He is settled into another chair with books around him as he sips some scotch. “I need to get some alcohol.” He mutters.

Bella looks up and asks, “Why do you drink so much?” She has noticed that he has added wine to their dinners, and even now, often has an alcoholic drink with him.  She remembers him drinking at the Grill when she met him.

He looks up with a smirk. “Besides being Italian?” at her snort he informs her seriously, “Like food, alcohol helps with the lust.  It actually helps better.  And to be frank about it, it helps blend in.  Not eating nor drinking sticks out.”

[ ](http://kittyinaz.files.wordpress.com/2012/12/cullens-school.jpg)

Bella nods as she comments, “That was the first thing that set me off.  Emmett is huge, and he never ate in the school.  They would buy lunches, but never eat them.” She remembers her watching them and how that had stuck out to her the most.

He chuckles.  “Torment from hell, High School never ending.  I can’t think of a worse punishment.” He shakes his head.  Stefan going through High School again had him teasing him relentlessly.  Even though he started to be close to Elena, it still had made Damon’s day when he had rolled into town and found his little brother as a high school student.

Laughing as she makes another note to the database. “I thought so to.  To tell you the truth, I am glad I met you now.  We are about or are the same age.  And neither of us can be taken as high school students.” She shudders as she thinks on going through high school for the rest of her life.  Nope she rather be older and not mess with school anymore.

He nods as he is reading another page.  Then he frowns.  “Bella, you said you are also looking for more information on Elijah and the rest right?”

Bella’s head came up. “Yep.  And also about Isobel’s note on that all the Founding Families are connected back to them.” She had connected them all, but there were some missing the connection, like Damon’s own family.

He looks up at her and reveals to her, “The Salvatores are not connected to the Original Family like the rest, but it seems you and she are right.  Seems that Esther, the witch mother, is from our family line.” His voice held a sneer in it, letting all know what he thinks on it.

Bella laughs. “And you sound so happy about that.”

Damon shakes his head. “I hate witches.”

Bella got up and from the tree she had of lineages, she drew a line from Esther and added the Salvatores. “You were the last line we couldn’t connect.”  She says as she backs away and looks at the tree.  Part of her is happy that Damon is not related to her in any direct way.  From what they are reading, for some reason, the founding families have interconnected over the years making for more of a web than a family tree.

He mutters, “And it could have stayed that way.  But at least she is from an offshoot, so I am not directly related to her.” From what he is reading from the notes Isabel had of them, they were a remote offshoot.  In fact she thought how odd it was that his family had settled in the same area, not having a link as most did.

Bella laughs, “Try being me who is a descendant of them all?” She looks over her shoulder at him as she comments.

He nods, “But that is ok, I forgive and love you anyways.” His face is still in the book, but he is watching to see her reaction at his comment.  He is telling her the truth, and wonders how she will take it.

Bella throws an eraser at him as they laugh.  She stares at the tree on the board and comments idly, “It is odd that so many related to them did find their way here. I wonder why?” Marking it as something she will look into if the books don’t give her the answer before then.  It is something odd for them all to be here.

She shakes her head, and goes back to the books.  Damon asks, “Why are you so upset about the books?” It is something that has made him wonder since she had exploded on it.

Snorting, Bella explains, “I read the books that were reproduced off this original.  So that is why I don’t need to read every page, but I need to since sometimes she makes notes on things that have nothing to do with the book.” She is grumbling at the end, as she is turning the pages and reading the notes on the side to see if it had any information for them.

That information has Damon’s head look up, “Like she was trying to hide the information?” He has done the same when he has written down anything.  Unlike his brother and Elena’s diaries, his is basically for him to refer back for information.  And the information is buried in a code of what looks like drivel.

Thinking, as she sits back in the chair, “Yeah.  Didn’t think of it that way at first, but you could be on to something.” She rubs her face as she lets the information settle that there may actually be a method to Isobel’s madness.

He laughs at her as he settles to read.  Unlike Bella, he has to read the information to determine if the writing on the side is notes on it or information not related to it.

Before they can get much further in their pursuit, the doorbell sounds.  Bella turns to the computer that is on the system and looks.  She sighs. “More drama it seems.” Just what they wanted after today. And tonight had been so relaxing!

Damon is beside her and growls.  He had enough of the group earlier and like Bella, had been enjoying the quiet break for them.  With this in mind, he heads to the door and opens it to Alaric, Elena and Stefan.

He tells the two, “You two can come in, Stefan can’t.” He is nothing but blunt in his wording.  Tonight was to be the two of them relaxing.

Stefan gets pissed and is going to say something when Bella’s voice comes through.  “He’s right.  Stefan, you are not invited in.  I can’t have any vampires allowed in that may want to hurt Damon.  So far you have not impressed me.” Her voice is hard, as she is walking up to the door.

By the end of the conversation she is standing beside Damon.  “Besides, I heard Damon saying who is allowed, and you were _not_ invited.  The other two are only because of their connection to Isobel.”

Stefan stares at her, as he bites out, “You trust Damon, but not me?” He is the good brother.  How can she not trust him and trust Damon?

Bella nods. “And how you are acting right now is the reason for it.  Go hunt, Stefan.  Take your time.  Hopefully we will be done before you are through.” She is unrelenting to his stare, and notices Damon place himself in front of her, just in case.

Elena pauses, then walks through the door, Alaric following.  Stefan tries but he is repelled from the house. The growl from him making Elena only glance back as she makes her way past Bella.

Bella shakes her head and closes the door on him, his last view is of Damon’s smirk.

* * *

[ ](http://kittyinaz.files.wordpress.com/2012/12/foyer20double20stairway20luxury20home20plan20design.jpg)

Alaric and Elena look around then both jump a little as Bella walks past saying, “Follow me.”

They follow her to a huge room filled with books.  A fire is going on in the fireplace which helps warm the cold room.  They can see the desk organized with a book open as well as a laptop and another computer.

Sitting cattycorner is a leather chair with a side table and books around it.  On the table is Damon’s ever present glass of alcohol along with another open book lying next to it.

There are whiteboards scattered around the desk and chair along with some comfy looking leather chairs scattered around the room.

Bella glides into the room and slides into the chair behind the desk.  She sighs then tells them, “Look around.  The whiteboards have some interesting things on them.  When Damon comes in, we will talk.” And with that, she ignores them as she gets back to the book she is working on. Her aggravation clear, but they have no idea what she is upset on.

Alaric and Elena look at each other, but Alaric recognizes the same thing his ex-wife was.  A scholar.  The thing is, he never thought of Damon as being one. But it is obvious with the set up that Damon is helping Bella out, and if he wasn’t he wouldn’t have been in the room set up as he obviously is.

Alaric heads to the boards and is shocked to see a family tree.  On it are all the founding families, with notes on how they are related to the Original Family.  Damon’s voice comes from the front of the Library. “It’s amazing isn’t it?  The Salvatores are the latest find.”

They look at him and he is walking towards Bella with a cup in his hand that he hands her, then collapses in his seat.

Bella smiles as she drinks her tea.  Damon has been taking care of her all day.  Making sure she eats and is well hydrated.  He started the fire when she had rubbed her arms.  He is keeping up what he had told her earlier.  He wants to take care of her and he makes it seem as nothing.  She loves it.

Elena smiles as she watches Damon.  She looks back at the tree and asks softly, “What is the Gilberts relationship?” Wanting to start somewhere, and hopefully distract Bella from whatever is making her upset.

Bella looks up and informs them, “Ask Damon, he has sussed out all that.” Her eyes glow as they land on him, proud of him.

Damon grins, then moves to them. He taps the board. “Technically Elena, you have two relations to the Original Family.  It is thought that you are related to Klaus.  Elijah and he competed for Tatia’s attentions, but Klaus had won.  Esther didn’t like her and used her as part of the spell that made them all vampires.  Then after that, Klaus still didn’t give her up, she killed her to seal Klaus.  From what, we haven’t found out.  But per the laws of witchiness, there had to be a solution to break it since it was not natural.  We found mention of a child of Tatia’s and from there the Petrova line of Doppelgangers are born.” He is proud of their work, and is showing it.

Both Elena and Alaric also notice how attentive he is to Bella.  He has himself positioned in a way to be able to watch her, but also watching them.  This is new to both of them, he wasn’t this way with Elena.

Bella mentions from where she is reading, “Nature will always make sure there is one of you around.  Katherine Pierce or rather Katherine Petrova is your direct ancestor.  She had a baby out of wedlock.” And she too is watching these two with Damon.

Alaric is just amazed by the work in front of him. “This is amazing.” Not even Isobel was this organized.

Damon grins at him, “Isn’t she?”

Bella waves her hand as though it was nothing.  She frowns and curses under her breath.  She turns to the laptop and types in there, frowning and muttering as she reads the results. “No offense, Alaric, but your ex-wife needs to be shot!” The pure anger in her voice is a shock from her usual tone.

Alaric raises an eyebrow.

Damon tells him as he watches her, “Isobel had the bad habit of writing in rare books.  And often on stuff that is not in them.  It infuriates Bella.” And the smile they had seen earlier, is still there.  As well a slight look of wonder as if he is still unbelieving of what is happening.

Elena laughs. “Nice to see you are normal.”

Bella raises her head and looks at the teenager. “I am normal.”

Elena, stutters, “I mean-“

Bella shakes her head and runs her hands through her hair. “Sorry.  This is driving me nuts and everything is gaining on me.  I feel like we are running out of time, and no idea why.  There is something coming, and I can’t find out where I read it from.”

Damon moves behind her and rubs her shoulders.  “Do you remember anything about it?  Maybe we can help?”

Bella closes her eyes when he puts his hands on her. “It has to do with the Doppelganger.  I read it in the past, but discounted the words since I thought it was some of the nonsense crap I had found before.  Now it is driving me nuts!  Who would have thought all this was real?”  Her hands rub her face then she lets her shoulders fall under Damon’s hands.

Elena thinks about what she said and asks, “But that is the thing.  I have been finding out that everything is rooted in truth somewhere.  You know that since that is how you know that the Sun and Moon curse is a lie.  That makes us miles ahead of the average supernatural person.  I don’t know what you think, Bella, but to me, it is looking more and more like we need to speak with Elijah.”

Bella sighs.  “I know.  Go ahead and call him.” Her shoulders tense, and so does her muscles.  She is so not looking forward to meeting this mysterious man, but it is looking as though there is no help for it.

Damon pulls her closer to him, as Elena pulls out her phone. She hits the number and pretty much as soon as she calls, Elijah answers. “Elena, to what pleasure do I owe for this call?” His voice is pleasant and holds the old world charm to it.

Elena smiles and replies, “Hello, Elijah.  I have a new friend who would like to meet you.  Do you know where the Moutin Plantation is?”

Silence came from the phone, and then a question, “Is the person the rightful owner of the plantation?”

Elena looks up with the question in her eyes, Damon nods yes. “Yes.”

Elijah sighs. “I’ll be there momentarily.  I take it you will be there?”

Her smile grows bigger as she answers, “Yes.” She can never explain how much she enjoys being around him.  He makes her feel cherished and safe in a way that neither Salvatore brother had ever achieved.  Though she suspects from the way Damon is being around Bella, that he has made a choice.  And she is really happy about it, he deserves it. Elijah’s voice brings her back to the conversation.

“Excellent.  I look forward to seeing you shortly.” With that he hangs up.

Damon is looking at Elena, as is Bella.  But the difference is the thoughtful look on Damon’s face and Bella’s has the look as though she has been answered something she had wondered about.

Bella sighs.  “I guess another vampire will have access to my home.” She leans back on her vampire, knowing, that he will protect her.

Damon looks down at her, “I am sorry mia carissia.” And he is going to find out how he can make her home safe even when she turns.  He does not like the fact that others have permission to come in.

She laughs as she looks up at him, her feelings plain as can be in her eyes. “It’s your home too.”

Elena eyebrows lift. “Damon is living here?” Her voice is surprised. The two in front of her are moving quickly.

Damon looks at her, “Yes.  She asked, I accepted.”  His tone said not to question it.

Bella reaches her hand up and covers his. “Damon.”

He looks down and shakes his head.  He tells her softly, “You will have to invite Elijah in, I can’t as the vampire, Stella.”

She looks at the monitor on her desk and sighs. She is watching for the arrival of their guest.

He tells her softly, “I’ll be here.  Nothing can make me leave, mia carissia.  And you have the proof, your father sent you the last of it and the rest was here in the library.  You can back the claim.  What are you worried about?”

Bella looks up at him. “He is almost the ultimate ancestor.”

Elena looks up in shock, then her face softens. “You are worried what he will make of you.” She can understand that feeling.  Of knowing she will be measured up to something and not know if she will pass.

Bella nods.

Damon shakes his head, “He will think the wonderful woman you are.  And if not, who needs him?  You have your father and me.  What else does a woman want?” He keeps trying to remind her of her father, but he has gotten the idea from Bella that somehow, they have said goodbye to each other.  He is not sure why her father would do that, but when he has a chance, he will get to the bottom of it.

Alaric and Elena laugh with Bella.  “I guess with that list, I don’t need anything else.”

Damon kisses her head and tells her softly, “Showtime, stellina.” He saw the blur and sees the vampire now at the door.

The two of them leave the room as the doorbell sounds.

Alaric shakes his head as he looks at Elena, “Who would’ve thought?”

Elena breaks out of her thoughts and answers, “I did.  But I was told I was a dreamer and that Damon is no longer human at all. Obviously they were wrong.”  She turns back to the family tree in front of her and asks softly, “What else were they wrong about?”

Alaric had no answer for the young woman in front of him.

* * *

**Final count, 4, 881 words.**

**Fairfarren~Wendy**


	11. Will Give You The Strength To Go

# Will Give You The Strength To Go

**[ ](http://kittyinaz.files.wordpress.com/2012/12/cascades.jpg) **

**Pre Edit Count -   2,719 Words**

_Song I listened to for this chapter: Robot Boy_ by Linkin Park.

* * *

_Previous:_

_Damon shakes his head, “He will think the wonderful woman you are.  And if not, who needs him?  You have your father and me.  What else does a woman want?” He keeps trying to remind her of her father, but he has gotten the idea from Bella that somehow, they have said goodbye to each other.  He is not sure why her father would do that, but when he has a chance, he will get to the bottom of it._

_Alaric and Elena laugh with Bella.  “I guess with that list, I don’t need anything else.”_

_Damon kisses her head and tells her softly, “Showtime, stellina.” He saw the blur and sees the vampire now at the door._

_The two of them leave the room as the doorbell sounds._

_Alaric shakes his head as he looks at Elena, “Who would’ve thought?”_

_Elena breaks out of her thoughts and answers, “I did.  But I was told I was a dreamer and that Damon is no longer human at all. Obviously they were wrong.”  She turns back to the family tree in front of her and asks softly, “What else were they wrong about?”_

_Alaric had no answer for the young woman in front of him._

_Now:_

* * *

[ ](http://kittyinaz.files.wordpress.com/2012/12/damon-opening-the-door.gif)

Damon opens the door and smiles at Elijah.  “Elijah, what an honor to meet you.”

Elijah stares at the vampire in front of him.  He had heard that he was in town, and that he is reckless, yet one of the most powerful in the world.  He beats Sage who is the first turned vampire and is told to be able to rival an Original.

He nods to the other vampire, then informs him politely, “I was asked to come here.”

Damon stares at the Original. He is fighting his urge to snarl at someone that could hurt Bella.  She is his, and he won’t allow anyone to take her away from him. He finally nods back at him, and Bella comes up beside him. “Hello Elijah.”

Elijah looks shocked.  Without thinking, he steps forward and cups her face.  He says softly “Camilia.”

Damon and Bella are both shocked that he could walk right in.

[ ](http://kittyinaz.files.wordpress.com/2012/12/elijah-1.jpg)

Elijah realizes after a second what happened and he smiles softly, “Blood of mine, only one descended of our blood can enter.”

Damon growls as he asks, “Klaus?” This is not someone he wants to be able to enter their home without warning.  Elijah is bad enough.

Elijah shakes his head. “No.  It’s the magic that determines this, and she is my descendent.  Mine and Camilia’s.  Only one who is of the same line can enter without permission.” And he is just staring at this daughter he has been searching all his life for.

Bella nods.  “That makes sense.  Or Stefan could have entered when he tried.” She is trying to be calm, but she isn’t going to lie, having Damon beside her is a great source of strength for her.

[ ](http://kittyinaz.files.wordpress.com/2012/12/elijah-and-damon-2.png)

Elijah’s lips lift in a snarl. “The Ripper?”  He looks up at Damon, “You allow her near the Ripper?” He cannot believe that this vampire will be so cavalier of the danger for the treasure in front of him.

Damon snarls back, “Not without me there.  She is mine!” His face is darkening, not backing down from his claims.  She is his, and he will defend her.

Before they can start to fight, Bella’s eyes blaze as she informs Elijah, “Back off.  This is our home, and you will not question Damon!”  Her eyes were alight with her passion.  When she sees he is listening to her, “Now, if you come in, we have plenty of questions for you.  Some have to do with Elena, some with me, and some have to with Damon and I.  Are you willing to answer?” She too is challenging, not allowing the man in front of her to scare her anymore.  Not with how he is challenging Damon!

Elijah slowly smiles at the woman in front of him, “I will be delighted to.” His daughter is quite the spitfire, and he loves it.

He then looks at Damon, saying, “Sorry.”

Damon nodded, but keeps his arm around Bella.  His instincts will not allow nothing less.  He allows Elijah into their home, glancing outside as he manages to keep his temper not to have another storm yet. But it _is_ early in the evening.

* * *

Elijah follows his many times great granddaughter, or as he has begun to think of her as simply as his daughter.  He had questioned if it was true in the past, that he could actually have a descendant, but staring at her now, there is no question that she is his and Camilia’s.  He is feeling very proud of her as she steps in between her vampire and him.

He carefully watches the interaction of the two, and his eyebrow lifts as he notices how close the two are.  He knows her father is still alive.  He had met him years ago.  And warned him what would happen if she is hurt.

If Bella is the culmination of their line like he believes her to be, she may not be human much longer.  If nothing else, he will turn her.  But he suspects that her vampire and her have exchanged blood.  After the talk with Elena, he will need to talk to the two of them. He suspects there is much more to them than normal couples.

He smiles as he enters the library and sees Elena.  He is quite…fond of the newest doppelganger.  And suspects his fondness for the other two were a mere reflection of her.  It wouldn’t surprise him, he has learned by now that nature’s way to balance itself shows up in different methods.  And right now is a touchy time for the supernaturals.

He moves to Elena, and lifts her hand to kiss it, telling her, “Hello, Elena.” And smiles down at her, happy to be relieved of the pain of being separated from her.  No matter how small of the time they will have.

* * *

[ ](http://kittyinaz.files.wordpress.com/2012/12/elena-and-elijah-7.png)

Damon is watching Elijah.  But with his greeting of Elena, he smiles.  He told Bella that Elena deserved better and he has a feeling that he is seeing that better.

Bella sighs and sits at her desk, Damon coming behind her, his hands resting on her shoulder.  Elijah grabs two of the chairs and arranges them in front of her, offering one to Elena and the other to Alaric.  He rests perched behind Elena on her chair.

Starting it off, Damon tells him, “Bella received the results of Isobel’s research a month ago.  She started to go through it just a couple of days ago.  Since then, some things…happened and I got involved.  Bella learned that there was another type of vampire in the world and a lot of the things she had discounted as legends, she found to be real.” He rubs her shoulders as she tenses at the mention of the Cold Ones.

Elijah had straightened up when he heard Damon say another type.  He raises his eyebrow, “And you have knowledge of the Cold Ones?” This is not good.  He knows of their silly laws and how much they enforce them.  This time will be different. This is his family, and nothing is more important to him.

Bella hand goes to her wrist as she nods. “And personal knowledge of shifters, book knowledge of the Children of the Moon.”

Damon stands behind her and covers her hand with his. “We will tell you more of that later.” With a nod to the two in front of them.  Elijah nods in understanding.  He doesn’t want Elena mixed up with them and is unhappy that Bella is.

Damon continues, “During Bella’s research, she had found that for some reason, all the Founding Families of Mystic Falls are connected to what is called the Original Family.  She also found proof tracing her line back to twins.  Twins that you fathered.” He stares down at the elder vampire, making him understand he _will_ acknowledge Bella.

Elijah nods.  “I have already acknowledged her as my bloodline.  And I will talk with the two of you more on this, privately.” He stares at the two, waiting until they nod.  He will not leave here without talking to them.

Elena huffs. “There is a lot you three will be talking about privately.  How about the rest of us?” She hates how Stefan seems to leave her out of stuff to protect her, and it seems like they are doing the same thing.  Why did she need to be here?

Elijah laughs and puts a hand on her shoulder, calming her. “No worries, Elena.  We will have plenty to talk about.  These other matters are personal to Damon, Bella and I.”  He does not like her being so upset.

She sighs and leans back. Somewhat mollified, but it reminds everyone in the room she is a high school student, and quite young all in all.

Bella picks up from Damon. “While I was researching my thesis, I came across different mentions of a curse.  The one that these guys know as the Sun and Moon Curse.  But I found that it was though the supernatural world was to look out for the doppelgängers.  And found that they are supposed to die in a ritual to free someone called Klaus.  Which Damon helped me find out is your brother.” And she just looks at Elijah as she puts their cards on the table.

Elijah nods.  In his head, he had been forming new plans and now those plans are becoming more important.  He will safeguard Elena.  And now he has Bella to keep safe.  He suspects that Damon will be involved with it also.  He sighs.

[ ](http://kittyinaz.files.wordpress.com/2012/12/klaus-and-elijah-1.jpg)

“Yes, when my brother and I had gotten along, we came up with the different curses to help locate the doppelgangers.  They would only come rarely, and we didn’t want to miss one.  Katherine got out of it, and Elena has been the first since then.  But, Klaus and I have had a falling out.  He has managed to dagger our complete family except for father and me.  As originals, the only way to kill one of us is to stake us with a White Oak Stake.  Which all the White Oaks have been burnt, even by my father.”

He moves to the Whiteboards to study them as he continues the story. “The other way to put us out of commission was thought of by the witches.  A set of daggers, one for each of us was made.  Dipped in the ash of the Oak, it has the means to paralyze us.  But once removed, we come back.  The daggers have to remain in us.  I managed to get hold of two of them and had them destroyed.”

“So there is one unaccounted for if everyone else is daggered.” Damon comments, his hands on Bella’s reassuring her.

Elijah turns and meets the human’s and supernatural’s eyes. “Yes. And it can only be used by one of us or a human.  It kills the vampires who use it against us.”

Bella leans forward and rubs her eyes. Even the originals can be killed or beaten.

Elena just mutters, “Wow.”

Alaric agrees, but he asks the next question, “This is all fascinating, but the reason Elena called was because Bella is stressing out trying to find something she read. Something about the Doppelgängers and a sacrifice coming up.” He actually genuinely likes Damon.  And seeing him with Bella, well like Elena said, people are being proved wrong.  So he is trying to get the conversation back on course for what worried Bella enough to call Elijah that she had been so very nervous in meeting.

Elijah sighs and rubs his bridge of his nose. “She is correct.” And what has been driving him to making so many plans to try to save her.  Now he needs to add Bella and he suspects Damon to those plans.

Bella groans and leans back in her chair.  Damon rests his hands on her, collaring her, and making her feel safer as she looks up at him with his thumbs rubbing her neck. “And?”

Elijah looks up at him, “The first step, is to keep Klaus from here on the night that he can lift the curse, then we have another year.”

Alaric mumbles, “And maybe the horse will learn to sing.”

Elijah nods.

Damon repeats his earlier question, “And?” His eyebrow is lifted.  He is noting that that there is more.  He needs to know all of it so he can keep his Bella safe.  Then he will safeguard the rest of them, then finally the town.  But Bella is first.  Now and forever.

Elijah looks away.  “He will need to get his hands on a new vampire, a new werewolf and…blood related to him.” And this is why he will be guarding Bella.  She will be blood related to him.  Even if they turn her, he can use her as the new vampire.  Too many dangers right now.

Damon growls. “Does he realize the doppelgänger is his blood?” and gestures to the board that tells all.

Elijah’s head came flying up, “No!  How?”

Bella snarks, “The normal way babes are born.  Two people have sex, a child comes.”

Elijah is just staring at them. Damon asks, “Did you not ever wonder how the doppelgängers came about?  They have to be blood related.  Tatia had a child.  She had to, for the spell to work.  That child was Klaus’s.”  He cocks his head as he tries to understand how the man in front of him never put it together.  It is the only thing that made sense reading about them and how doppelgangers come.

Elijah’s face actually pales.  He starts pacing as he tries to work it out in his head.  He finally says, “There is no way he knows.  Bella is special and I recognized her as mine as soon as I saw her.  Why did not Klaus of his descendants?” He knows Bella is special, but if the doppelgangers are the same, then Klaus should have sensed it.  Elijah knew Bella’s father was his, but not _his_ as what he will be discussing with them later. Bella is his heir.

Damon asks, “Is that meaning that there are more of your kids running around?”

Elijah shakes his head. “No.  That is what makes Bella special.”  He turns to her, “Let me guess there was only one born to the line?” He cannot explain exactly.  It is something special for her to be his heir.

Bella advises him, “To Each Line.  One twin married into the Moutins.  The other, your son, kept his mother’s name, Lebada.”

Elijah says softly, “Swan.” As he nods.  He was never sure, one of the witches had figured it out and he kept track of the lines from there.  But he was never sure how it all came about.

Bella nods.  “The lines join back together in my father and me.” She didn’t consider her mother’s contribution to be much since she couldn’t figure out how, but her mother’s family was the same as her fathers, one descendant.

Elijah shakes his head. “You.”

“What?” She is lost, why her and not her father?

Meeting her eyes, he informs her, “You.” He looks at her and tells both of them, “You don’t think that the rumor of a descendant hasn’t made it to me in the past?  I am devoted to my family.  Even the thought of having someone of my blood alive was enough to send me searching.  I met your father, and he didn’t register.  It’s something about you.  There is no question your mine.” His heir, the one that he will gladly claim as his daughter from now until the ends of time.  She will be turned, and she will walk this earth by his side.

[ ](http://kittyinaz.files.wordpress.com/2012/12/damon-9.jpg)

Damon quells the growl, telling himself that he cannot deny her great-Grandfather his claim on her.  But Bella is _his_. His hands, slide on her neck, and she just reaches up and holds her hand over his, not stopping him, but acknowledging him and his feelings.

Elena shakes her head, “That doesn’t make sense, what makes Bella special?” She hates to say it, but why is Elijah making such a deal about Bella, and so is Damon.  She has no idea why she is so jealous, but she just doesn’t seem to be that special…

Damon scoffs, “She just is.  She can block any mind powers, she survived an attack by a venomous vampire, she…”

Elijah smiles and interrupts Damon as he realizes what the two in front of him are, “She is one of a pair of very rare mates.” And he stares at this man.  He gains a daughter, and this man is already taking her from him?  But he gives himself a shake and realizes, that he is gaining a son too.  Mates…

They both nod, Damon’s hands move back to her shoulder, and Bella strangely missing them on her.

Elena asks, “Mates?”

Damon smirks. “Mates.”

Bella laughs. “Alaric?”

He shakes his head no, as he is trying to process this.  Though he can see Bella’s sense of humor as she asked him if he wanted to join in with the rest of them.

Elijah laughs as it sinks in that his daughter is mated, and whom to. “Yes, Elena. Mates.  The other half of your soul.  They are a tale as rare as any you can find.  They are the basis for those fall in love in a glance tales.” He cannot help the grin as he realizes that Damon will never leave her, will do so much to defend her.  That she will not easily leave his side.  And he means to be active in her and Damon’s lives.

As he turns it over in his head, he realizes who must of told Damon about it, asks him, “Sage?”

At Damon’s nod, he nods. “She would know, considering that she is one of the now two pairs known to me.  You two being the other.”

Bella quips, “Don’t you mean three?” She grins slyly at him, letting him know that no, she had not missed it.

Elijah glances at her quickly.

Damon grins, “Oh, don’t think we don’t know.  And I am pretty sure Bella feels the same way as I do and we both support it.”

Elijah laughs.  “Well, I guess you won’t be too bad as my son in law.” And he looks down at Elena, his eyes showing his joy in being so close to her.

Damon narrows his eyes at the other vampire as the rest of them laugh.

Elena though asks, “What is special about mates?  I mean I get the fall in love in a glance and such, but what makes it so rare?”

Walking to her and sitting on the arm of the chair, he explains, knowing that she will need the information, and maybe, just maybe it will start her wondering. “Bella and Damon have probably realized they don’t want to be apart.  It’s because they really can’t be.  The farther they are away from each other the worse it will be.  Damon, being the vampire first, is probably going to be her sire.  I need to talk to them both privately about that.  Also, don’t be surprised if you two find yourselves, well, being closer.  It will be a literal drive for Damon before too much longer.  As much as I hate to say it, Damon, be very prepared to turn her when you two do mate.  Finn was unable to resist it.  But these two will find themselves powerful, because they will draw on each other.  This is going to be better for both of them because Damon’s blood lust will dwindle as will hers once she turns.  You will still need blood, but nowhere as much as you do now.” He is watching the two, and could see Damon’s hand tighten on her shoulder as she lays her hand on his.  The more he is aware of them, the more he is approving of the elder Salvatore for a son in law.

Alaric is frowning, “Why?  It seems to go against nature to have two being so powerful.” He is turning over the information, not seeing much sense in it.

Elijah nods at him, “And that is why they are rare.  What they are is the promise of our species continuing.  As long as there is a mated pair in the world, our species will continue.  And giving them all these abilities will help that.  What worries me, is that they are needed.  Or who knows, maybe it is fated?”

Bella shudders. “Don’t say that.” Fated never is a good thing.  Fated means deadly situations, and chances that they will die.

Damon rubs her shoulders as he tells them, “Since this seems to be our inner group now, Bella dated a Cold One when she was young.  He and the family betrayed her.  She was attacked by a tracker and they left her with the mate still out there.” The last is said with a growl, his teeth slightly elongating with his rage of his mate being in danger.

Elijah shudders. “I have no idea how they even came about.  They are hard to kill and that makes me wonder.  Only fire kills them, and only if you can get to the venom inside them.  Otherwise they can walk through fire.  They can also breed with humans.”  His voice is thick with the disgust he feels for them.  As far as he is concerned, they are an abomination.

Bella turns white as Damon growls. “What?”

Elijah has his hand resting on Elena’s shoulder as he tells them, “There are some half breeds in South America.  No one understands it.  And they find their mates easier than we do, but they are basically companions to them.  They don’t get the benefits of our kind.  They also may have physic powers, but they have none of the supernatural of our kind.” Elijah is trying to give him enough of the information to calm the vampire who is getting riled up at the danger he is sensing to his mate.

Damon growls.  “That is something.  I wonder if they could survive a lightning strike.” At the end, he is turning over how he can do it.  He has done it in the past, but controlling that much power is something that is harder than people would ever guess.  That he had done it, successfully and more than once, had Sage calling him an elemental lord.  He had laughed at her.

Elijah grins suddenly. “I have no idea.  No one has tried it.  As you know, power over the elements is extremely rare, especially to one of your age and to the extent of your control. But it would be an interesting experiment.” He knows what Sage has named the elder Salvatore, and now, knowing what he does, he wonders if Damon was not always meant to be one of the elders of their species.

[ ](http://kittyinaz.files.wordpress.com/2012/12/damon-and-elijah.gif)

The two vampires grin at each other. Liking the direction their thoughts are going.

Elena yawns. “I am sorry to break this up, but I need to head home.  School is tomorrow.”

Elijah immediately apologizes and helps her out of the seat.  Alaric grins as he too gets what Bella and Damon have been saying.  He looks at Elena as his daughter, the daughter he believes he should have had with Isobel.  Stefan was too controlling.  Elijah would be better for her, and if he is thinking this through correctly, has been waiting for her for a very long time.

The group heads to the front door, Damon and Elijah framing Bella as they wish the other two goodnight.  Stefan had appeared and giving a dirty look at the trio, escorts Elena to her vehicle and they leave.

And then it was down to three.

* * *

**Final count, 4,046 words.**

**Fairfarren~Wendy**


	12. I Want Your Beautiful Soul

# I Want Your Beautiful Soul

**[ ](http://kittyinaz.files.wordpress.com/2012/12/elakala_waterfalls_pub2_-_west_virginia_-_forestwander.jpg) **

**Pre Edit Count -   2,558 Words**

_Song I listened to for this chapter: Beautiful Soul_ by Jesse McCartney.

* * *

_Previous:_

_Damon growls.  “That is something.  I wonder if they could survive a lightning strike.” At the end, he is turning over how he can do it.  He has done it in the past, but controlling that much power is something that is harder than people would ever guess.  That he had done it, successfully and more than once, had Sage calling him an elemental lord.  He had laughed at her._

_Elijah grins suddenly. “I have no idea.  No one has tried it.  As you know, power over the elements is extremely rare, especially to one of your age and to the extent of your control. But it would be an interesting experiment.” He knows what Sage has named the elder Salvatore, and now, knowing what he does, he wonders if Damon was not always meant to be one of the elders of their species._

_The two vampires grin at each other. Liking the direction their thoughts are going._

_Elena yawns. “I am sorry to break this up, but I need to head home.  School is tomorrow.”_

_Elijah immediately apologizes and helps her out of the seat.  Alaric grins as he too gets what Bella and Damon have been saying.  He looks at Elena as his daughter, the daughter he believes he should have had with Isobel.  Stefan was too controlling.  Elijah would be better for her, and if he is thinking this through correctly, has been waiting for her for a very long time._

_The group heads to the front door, Damon, Elijah framing Bella as they wish the other two goodnight.  Stefan had appeared and giving a dirty look at the trio, escorts Elena to her vehicle and they leave._

_And then it was down to three._

_Now:_

* * *

[ ](http://kittyinaz.files.wordpress.com/2012/12/damon-holding-bella.jpg)

Bella sighs and leans back into Damon.  “I guess we need to talk first?” She is exhausted, today has been busy.  Damon moving in, meeting the group, and now all this.  She is more than ready to go to bed with her vampire and sleep.

Damon wraps an arm around her, kissing her on the head, “Let’s go mia carissia.  I promise that it will be worth your while.  How often do you get to pick the brains of an Original vampire?” He knows how tired she must be, but he will be here, to give her what she needed from him.

Elijah smiles as he witnesses the two together.  His pain at being parted from Elena is already starting, but he is used to it.

Elijah comments, “C’mon Bella.  As Damon mentioned, it’s not often that you get to pick my brain.  In fact, other than you two, I don’t think I have allowed anyone else to do so.” He looks down at his daughter, proud of her.

Bella huffs as she turns and walks towards the library. “That’s only because you call me your _Blood_.” She is still mystified by his claim.  Her own father has seemingly given up on her already, how would this man treat her?  In the back of her mind, she knows her father is aware of one of two outcomes for her, and is only trying to make her life easier in making the choice.  He loves her, and has proven that time and time again.  But his withdrawal from her life has left a wound in her heart.

They have made it to the Library as Elijah grabs Bella and turns her. “I am proud to call you mine.  I already think of you as a daughter of mine.  I told you I am extremely loyal to my family, and you have that undivided loyalty.  You, as part of me, will always hold my loyalty.” He is staring into her eyes, not knowing why she is denying this, but he will prove to her that he will be here for her no matter what.

She stares at him, defiant at first but as she searches his eyes, the eyes that are the exact shade of hers, she sighs. “I don’t know what to think.  I have a father.  But lately he has withdrawn from me. I don’t know if that is my fault or what.  But all in all, I allowed it, trying to put space in case of anyone finding out what I know.” Her eyes drop, hiding the pain, the pain that she is unaware that Damon is very aware of and now so is Elijah.

Elijah pulls her to him, holding her. “I will never abandon you, nor will your Damon.  You can always trust that the two of us have your back.  I promise.”

Damon had entered the room earlier with tea for Bella and watched the two.  He loftily comments, “And you were worried about meeting him.  Yet again, proof that I am better than any other.” He smirks, wanting his Bella to smile.

Both Elijah and Bella laugh at him.  He can see the resemblance between the two stronger with them side by side.  He smiles at the two of them. “So does this mean we will all be family?”

[ ](http://kittyinaz.files.wordpress.com/2012/12/damon-19.jpg)

Elijah shakes his head as he lets Bella go to him, watching as he settles her in what he takes as Damon’s chair, making sure she is comfortable before handing her the tea he prepared.  He then lazes on the arm and stretching behind her.  He knows that Damon is also prepared to defend her to death if needed.  His lazy pose is nothing more than that.  A Pose. He bets that no one, not even Sage is totally aware of what this man will do for his mate, his other half.

He smiles at the two of them and starts. “This is going to be awkward, I am going to tell you this information, bluntly.  But this is also the secrets of our family, Bella and Damon.” His eyes watching theirs as they acknowledge what he is giving them.

He settles into a chair across from them and starts. “Bella, you are a direct descendant of mine.  Because of this, you are going to get abilities that are reserved for Originals.  But at the same time, when you finish the mating process, Damon and you will also receive the same privileges.  The only things that can kill you are the White Oak Stakes.  The daggers will affect you the same as though you were made with us.  We have been the strongest as the oldest vampires, but you are of my blood, and I am _the_  original vampire.  I was first, even before my father.  Because of this, I have abilities that none of my siblings have, and from what I was told, you two will get these.  Some of the powers are the ability to compel _any_  vampire.  Original and the rest.  Even Cold Ones.” The last is said with a twist of his lips, knowing how powerful that ability can be.

Damon’s eyes had widened.

Elijah chuckles.  “There is a reason I searched for any offspring of the Originals and am upset I didn’t know about the doppelgangers.  But it explains how Katherine is so powerful, and therefore you, Damon.  You are sired by a descendent of the Originals.”  He pauses.

Thinking, then looking up at the two of them, “I am going to get with some witches I personally know.  I am going to check on this, but I believe that once you turn Bella, Damon, you will be of Klaus’s line as well as mine.  It would take killing us both, but then you will be attached to Bella and she will be considered head of her own line.  I will let you know tomorrow.  I will also get them to spell some stones for both of you.  They are extremely loyal and I have trusted their lines for centuries.” He is getting everything in order in his head.  He has no doubt that Damon will be turning her before long.

Damon just looks at him oddly, “What does that mean head of her own line?” Bell had reached up and entwined their hands, and he squeezes it, giving her the support she needs.

Elijah leans forward, “Meaning that each Original vampire is considered their own line.  Probably Katherine as a descendant is her own line also.  You and Bella will be different if I am right, because it would take killing each one of us to end you without going against you directly.  Then there is the whole Mating thing and who knows from there.” He smirks, knowing that these two may end up the most powerful of their kind.  Not that it will matter, Damon seems content, as long as Bella is safe.  This is what he had seen of his own brother, Finn.

Damon growls.  “So if someone kills Klaus, you would kill anyone that can trace their line back to him?” He is not liking this option.  Which means to end him, he would not even have to be in a battle.

Elijah nods. “You see why this is kept secret now?” His eyes searching theirs making sure they understand how crucial this information is not to be given out.

Bella shakes her head. “This would be earth shattering if known.”

Elijah nods. He takes a deep breath. “Now, I take it you both have shared blood?”

At their nod, he smiles. “Good.  Not only will it save you, Bella, if you should get hurt or killed, but as Mates, you will need to do it.  Even once you are turned.  And Bella, don’t be shocked if you need Damon’s blood more than you getting your own.  I think it is part of mating, I know Sage only drank Finn’s.” So much they don’t know about mating, only what he observed and wrote down about Sage and Finn is the only guides they have.  He too is not happy with the amount of non-information that is out there, since he is half of a mated couple himself.  Which is why he will be watching his daughter and her mate.

Damon laughs as he looks down at his mate.  “I am going to get horny for you and you will crave nothing but my blood.  Makes sense.”

Bella is shaking her head. “You weren’t joking when you said Damon will change me then if not before.” She cannot help but smile at Damon making jokes, she knows that is how he is, and she is appreciative of it since she often takes things a bit too seriously.

He nods. “I will love to make you my heir in every way, but I will be satisfied in claiming you both.  If for some reason it doesn’t work the way we think, I would ask that you both take my blood in a ceremony that will make you mine.  I really rather you not connected any more than you are now to Klaus.” He shudders as he thinks of his brother who is on a revenge kick.

They both look at each other and then nod.  If Elijah is wanting this, neither can see a reason to deny him.  Especially Damon, he is still of that mindset of having an heir and a spare.  Even though for purposes with his father, he was the spare and his younger brother the heir.

He smiles.  “Damon, once again, welcome to the family.  You too have my loyalty since you are bound to my daughter.”  He settles back in the chair. “Bella, I will be dealing with some things, but I will be back to have you sign some forms to add you as my formal heir.  I will also be performing the ceremony to acknowledge you.”  He grins, “Some of those old rituals actually do work.” He cannot keep the joy out of his voice, letting them both know how happy he is to have a family of his own.

Damon kisses her head, “I did good.  I got myself an heir to a royal family!” He teases her, reminding her of earlier today.

Bella laughs as does Elijah.  “It goes with that Landed Southern Italian Gentleman I got.” She teased him right back as he grins down at her.  The love that the two are in, even if they didn’t recognize it, is obvious to Elijah and he is pleased with the two of them and the match.  It is for sure his daughter will not be wanting in affection from Damon.

Elijah relaxes with the two, making small talk for the rest of the night, wanting the connection with both of them.

After a while, Bella falls asleep in the chair.  Damon is watching her as the two continue talking.  After he is sure she is asleep, he looks up at Elijah.  “Now we can talk.” His tone is harder, giving notice that he is not the affable person he is around Bella.  No, this is _his_ mate and he will be getting information to protect her.

Elijah nods as he watches the transformation from the loving mate, to the alpha male he knew Damon is.  He had heard of him, and nothing in front of him is denying that status…

Damon calmly tells him, “How much does your loyalty stand next to Elena?  Because if you are anything like me with Bella, Elena comes first.” He decided to start on what he feels important.  There is nothing more important than Bella.  But he also does not know what is involved with Elijah acknowledging Bella as his daughter.  From what he can tell though, it seems to be a huge deal.

Elijah sighs, his eyes resting on her then flick back up to Damon’s eyes. “She does, but Bella is tied.  Damon, she is the daughter I have been searching for longer than you can ever imagine.  I was promised her a thousand years ago.  As you said, she is special and I don’t mean as a shield or anything like that.  She is the child I have somehow known was out there, and searched my entire life for.   I believe that I also mentioned earlier, that I met her father.  He had nothing of me in him.  But her?  She screams to my very instincts as mine. My daughter. I will kill my family to protect her.  The only thing I will not do is kill Elena for her.  Is that what you wanted to know?” He is quiet, but his voice in hard, not allowing any doubt in his determination to acknowledge and protect this child he has just found after so long.

Damon nods, his face serious, as he looks down to the woman who has become his life.  “I guess we are on the same side.” Then he grins, “And when are you going to take Elena away from my ass of a brother?  He doesn’t deserve her.” The Alpha look on him is hidden as usual, and he is back to his normal affable self.

Elijah laughs. “I am working on that.  You are lucky Bella was single.  No conflicts.  When she is with me, she is mine.  You can see that.  But when your brother comes, her mind interferes.  She thinks she owes him her loyalty.” He shakes his head at how she is withstanding the pull.

Damon sighs. “Can you break compulsions?”

Elijah nods, “I can, why?”

Damon tells him, “I met Elena first.  I compelled her to forget.  But I wonder if I didn’t make her seek Stefan out.” He tells the secret he has kept since they met first.  He never wanted her to choose him because of it.

Elijah stares at him.  “And when you thought you were in love with her?” His estimation of Damon is changing so much.  He is much more than anyone ever thought.  And he is just that much prouder that he will be calling him, his.

Damon shakes his head, “I never deserved her.  But now, I know what I felt for her was not love.  Bella is everything to me.  I will do anything for her.  But I will not die for her that would leave her vulnerable and hurting.” He meets the eyes of the Original Vampire, not afraid of him.

Elijah nods his head. “Dying for someone is easy, living for them is harder.  I am going to be proud to call you mine.”

Damon grins at him. “I think this will be the beginning of a long, beautiful relationship.”

They laugh.  Damon gets serious with him again. “If anything happens to me, what happens to Bella?” He needs to know.  He will do everything to stay with her, but he also wants to prepare in case something happens.

Elijah sighs, not liking the turn of the conversation, but cannot deny him the information. “Depends.  Sage is but a shadow of herself, but because Finn is still ‘alive’ she is still here.  The same will happen to Bella if someone daggers you when you are mated.  If you are not mated…well, all I can say is don’t let it happen.  It is really for the best interest of us all if you two would get on with it and mate.” He is serious, it will make them both much stronger and harder to kill.

Damon laughs low. “Oh, believe me, I am all for it.  But your daughter is a virgin.  Which is a good thing since the only man she has dated was the Cold One.” His eyes flash at his rage that someone could have killed her, had in fact damaged her psyche along with the scars on her body.  He will make them pay for each and every one of them.

Elijah shudders. “You know, sooner or later they will cause a problem.” His eyes flick upwards and meet Damons.

Damon’s eyes darken as he growls out, “I am actually looking forward to it.  They left her, to deal with everything on her own.  And the bite…”  He growls, his jaw tightened to keep control of himself.

Elijah leans forward, “Bite?  What bite?” His own eyes darken, as he is holding his temper at the mere _thought_ of one of them having bit his heir, his daughter.

Damon closes his eyes and takes a deep breathe of Bella to calm himself and remind himself that she is here with him. He then carefully extracts her arm out of the blankets he had wrapped her up in earlier when she had shivered.  She stirs, but when he pulls her closer to him, she calms.  He indicates her arm with his head.

Elijah moves forward and his growl is soon heard as he stares at the mark on her.  “Who bit her?”

Damon’s teeth elongates as he answers, “The tracker.  But Fuckward sucked the venom out.  He had her blood!” He and Bella had told him the story earlier.  And just as when she told Damon, she had left out the bite.  From what Damon understands, it was more painful for the venom to come out than her recovery from the broken bones.

Elijah barely holds in the snarl.  His voice is rough as he bites out, “That blood belongs to you as her mate and me as her father!  He will die for that.  I don’t care if he saved her life.  He got her into the trouble in the first place.” Elijah sprang up as he stalked around the room, his hands clenching.

Damon is satisfied with his response.  He had barely held it together when she had told him the story. And looking at the only other male who he allows to have claim on her to react the same way, well it makes him feel justified.

Looking at him, Elijah asks, “This was the cause of the storm last night?” At Damon’s nod he nods. “That is understandable.”

Stopping at the same window Damon had the previous night to calm down, Elijah shakes his head after thinking.  “This cannot go unanswered.  I need to send a precedent to the Supernatural world.  My daughter is not to be messed with!  What do you know of the Cold Ones?”

Damon proceeds to tell him everything his mate had gathered.  After a while, Elijah nods.  “I think a trip to the Volturi will be in the works.  I want her a vampire before we go.  And it will be we, I think we will show them the power of us.  If I have to, I will destroy the head of them and add it to my holdings.” Nothing less will be accepted.

Damon smirks. “Confident are we?”

Shaking his head as he settles back into his chair, “And why wouldn’t I be?  Damon, you are almost my equal without the mating.  You will be my equal once you are mated, and even when I mate Elena.  I would be a fool not to include you and Bella.  You have no idea how powerful you are about to become.  Already you should be feeling something with exchanging blood.”  He smirks as he sees the look on Damon’s face. “That feeling will never end.  Taking blood from another or even your blood bags will never taste the same.  Finn said it was like having the best steak in the world then drinking rust afterwards.  But you will do it, to keep your mate from being hungry.” He leans back as he gives more information to Damon to see how he would take it.

Damon closes his eyes, then asks, “Everything is going to change?” Not that he wouldn’t give anything to have Bella as his.

Elijah leans forward, “Do you want it to not to, when you lose Bella as the alternative?”

“Never!”

“Good answer.  If you answered anything but that, I would have taken her away from you.  You would have searched your entire life for her, not knowing you were searching for her.” Elijah advises him in a matter of fact voice.

Damon answers, “I already felt like that is what I did.  I also suspect that is what drove me to obtain the power I did.  I needed it for her.” And he would do it again, the pain and everything he had suffered before Bella being nothing.

Thinking on it, Elijah nods. “I understand.  I have had Tatia, then Camilia, and Katherine before I found Elena.”

They meet each other’s eyes, nodding.

Standing up, Elijah informs him, “Take your mate to your bed.  I will see you later.” With that he kisses Bella on her forehead and leaves.

[ ](http://kittyinaz.files.wordpress.com/2012/12/damon-holding-bella-2.png)

Damon smiles at the little smile on Bella’s face.  “And you were so worried about meeting him, mia carissia.”  He moves and picks her up bridal style and carries her to their bed.  He will need to talk to her tomorrow about the lock down code, he knows the unlock sequence, but he is not for sure on the lock down codes.

He deposits her in their bed, then goes to close the curtains as much as he can.  When they are as light tight as he could make them, he sheds his pants and shirt and lays in bed with her.  He kisses her forehead lightly, surrounding her body with his.  He smiles, and soon tumbles into sleep with her.

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**Final count, 3,908 words.**

**Fairfarren~Wendy**


	13. Whenever I Feel Lost

# Whenever I Feel Lost

**[ ](http://kittyinaz.files.wordpress.com/2012/12/virginia-water-berkshire.jpg) **

**Pre Edit Count -   2,064 Words**

_Song I listened to for this chapter: Always Somewhere Close_ by Lighthouse.

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_Previous:_

_Standing up, Elijah informs him, “Take your mate to your bed.  I will see you later.” With that he kisses Bella on her forehead and leaves._

_Damon smiles at the little smile on Bella’s face.  “And you were so worried about meeting him, mia carissia.”  He moves and picks her up bridal style and carries her to their bed.  He will need to talk to her tomorrow about the lock down code, he knows the unlock sequence, but he is not for sure on the lock down codes._

_He deposits her in their bed, then goes to close the curtains as much as he can.  When they are as light tight as he could make them, he sheds his pants and shirt and lays in bed with her.  He kisses her forehead lightly, surrounding her body with his.  He smiles, and soon tumbles into sleep with her._

_Now:_

* * *

[ ](http://kittyinaz.files.wordpress.com/2012/12/damon-23.jpg)

Bella woke up in the morning, smiling.  She can feel Damon in the bed next to her and realized he must have carried her into bed when she fell asleep last night.  She can tell he is still tired, since yesterday he had been up with her and today he is sprawled on the bed, curled around her as he is sleeping.

She carefully gets up, noticing that he had closed all the curtains he could and reminded herself that she needed to give him the codes to the house, hopefully while she is programing him in it.  She heads to the closet, skipping a shower for now.  Once she is dressed, she softly walks past him, stopping to admire the man who was hers, from now until the end of time.

Shaking her head, Bella heads downstairs.  She ends up making a bowl of cereal, eating it at the counter as she stares out the windows.  When she finishes, she sets the bowl in the sink, then heads into the library.

* * *

Damon wakes and immediately realizes that Bella is not with him.  He sits up in bed, but calms down when he thinks through it that she must be close since there is no pain.  He gets up, heads to the shower and gets ready for the day.

When done, he heads downstairs, realizing it is late in the afternoon.  He frowns slightly, wondering why Bella let him sleep so late.  He heads into the kitchen, thinking she would be there cooking dinner, but when he got there, he saw only a bowl in the sink.  He put it in the dishwasher, then headed into the Library.

When he got there, he leans against the door jam, watching her.

Bella had obviously fell into one of her research fits.  Her hair is pulled up in a bun, and she is frowning as she types into her research computer as she has another book open.  The desk is nowhere as neat as it had been the last couple of days.  Post it’s littered the monitors, and are sticking out of various books sitting around her.

His vision allows him to see the notes she had been writing and he cocks his head to the side.  But he catches himself before he says anything.  Thinking for a couple of seconds, he decides to make them dinner, since she is in her zone.

He heads into the kitchen, and noticing the contents of the refrigerator and the cupboards, plans to make the chicken breasts she has with mushroom sauce.  He quickly starts dinner, working with a real passion.

After he finishes the dinner, he sets the table in the dining room, and pours the wine.  Looking over everything, he heads into the library wiping his hands on the towel that he has on his shoulder.

Bella had caught on to a couple of things when Elijah had talked.  He hadn’t known that the doppelgangers were family, and had no idea where the Cold Ones came from.  This bugged her this morning and she went back to her books.  A lot of the information she had found on the Cold Ones as Elijah calls them, are from her findings in Carlisle’s and Jasper’s books.  She had started the database at that time and used it heavily to research through as she hunts for a hint of where they came from.

The doppelgangers are still a mystery, but then Elijah had mentioned he had met her father and not noticed that he was family.  But that Katherine and Elena looked identical made her wonder.  Did her mother’s whatever she added make that much of a difference?

The news that Elena is the last of the Petrova’s made her wonder about the curse from the witches.  What if Elijah turns her before she had a child?  Would the curse somehow go from her to Jeremy?  And if so how?  Because it is Isobel that was Katherine’s descendant.  Or would it make Elena be the first vampire in history to have a child?

These questions plague her.  She feels that it will be important.  And so she spends the time waiting for Damon to wake up researching.

So it startles her when she all of a sudden felt his hands on her shoulders and realizes that he must have cooked since the house smelled great. His hands alone have her relaxing into him.

Damon smiles as she rolls her head back with a groan as he massages her tight shoulders.  He tells her softly, “I made dinner.  Take a break and after dinner we will talk about what has you upset.”

Bella sighs, and takes his hand when she goes to stand up.  He pulls her into his arms and held her for a second.  They both relax, needing the connection.

Softly murmuring into her as they both cuddle, “I don’t think we will be able to hold off on our mating, mia carissia.  If we feel like this just being in the same house the entire time, it will only get worse.”

Bella nods her head, admitting to him, “I know.  I know it would also be safer for both of us if we mated and you turned me.  I have a bad feeling Damon.  I feel like something is coming, and it has to do with Elena being the last Petrova and what Elijah said about not knowing how the Cold Ones came about.  It just makes no sense if you think about it.  Nature had provided a way to restrict humans with the vampires from Elijah’s family.  The Mating will ensure basically that there will always be your type around.  But what use does nature have in making poisonous vampires?  They could kill off the humans.” Her voice slightly rises and Damon can feel her tensing up.

Damon kisses her forehead, holding her close.  He answers her, “And we will look into this.  But for right now, you need to eat, and our dinner is cooling.”  He looks down at her, “Remember, I told you I would look after you.”

She laughs and they head into the dining room.  He pulls out a chair for her and pushes her in when she sits.  He kisses her hand and sits down at the head of the table next to her.

Bella grins at his gentlemanly ways.  Then she looks down at the plate in front of her and murmurs, “Oh, my.”

Damon grins and tells her, “Try it before you say much more.”  He watches as she does as he suggested, and laughs when her eyes roll back.

Bella just shakes her head. “Landed Southern Italian Gentleman, and a great cook.  I really have landed the jackpot.”

He chuckles as he leans closer after he takes a bite.  His eyes are dancing with mischief as he swallows.  He tells her, “That’s not all I am good at, Tatina.”

Bella feels the blush as it flames across her face.

Damon reaches out and lifts her face to his.  His eyes search hers as he tells her, “My Bella, there is nothing to be embarrassed about.  We love each other and will be with each other for the rest of eternity, if I have anything to say about it. I can think of nothing better than us spending days in bed.”  He smirks at her and then leans forward even more as he growls, “And I want to know where that blush ends, mia carissia.” Even though his eyes are their normal icy blue, there is no doubt in Bella’s mind of the passion he is promising her with those same eyes.

She can’t but laugh at him.  She leans forward and kisses him, he returns it with the same amount of passion.  They stop so that Bella can breathe, and Damon leans back and takes another bite, watching her.

The two of them continue to eat, talking with each other about random stuff.  Just getting to know more about each other.  There are laughs and teasing going on, Damon the entire time watching her, making sure she is fine after working all day without a break.

Once dinner is done, she helps with the clean up, Damon grinning as she protested that since he cooked, she clean.  His just told her, “You were working and I lazed about.  It all balances out, Stella.”

He also starts her a cup of tea on the Keurig she has.  He shakes his head at the machine, “I remember when the big thing was espressos.  Now you can have a fresh cup of coffee anytime with one of these cups.” He hands her the tea after he makes it as she prefers.

Bella grins and tells him, “It’s awesome.  I never have to worry about making sure the pot is off when I get into my zone as you call it.  My dad bought me this when they came out. It was one of the biggest worries he had after I had left a pot on so long it cracked on me.”

Damon reaches out and cups her face. “No more.  I will take care of you, and make sure that nothing will happen to you.  To think of how close it was in me never finding you…I may have ended up with Elena.”

Bella laughs. “What about Elijah?  He might have killed you for going after his mate.”

Damon shakes his head as his thumb caresses her face.  “No idea.  I don’t want to think on it, to tell you the truth.  Because the reasons you not being here are not ones I ever want to imagine.  You really are my luce dei miei occhi, mia carissia.  I never want to be apart from you, even if this Mating thing didn’t occur.”

[ ](http://kittyinaz.files.wordpress.com/2012/12/damon-kissing.gif)

Bella smiles at him, leans forward to kiss him.  Damon pulls her to him, while removing the cup of tea from her hands.  He licks her bottom lip and when she allows him entrance, he pulls her closer as he takes control of the kiss, slanting his mouth over hers.

When Bella needs air, he moves his lips down her jaw to her throat.  When she moans as he nibbles on her artery, he pulls himself back, reluctantly.  Holding her a minute as he cools down, he mutters to her, “Yeah, I think it is going to be soon, my Bella.”

She cuddles into him, and laughs when he picks her up easily.  “You, missy, have some information to part with me.  Let’s take this into the Library and hope that it will cool me off.”  He smiles down as he is walking.

Bella grins up at him and mischievously asks, “So when do you think you will give in?”

He growls as he walks into the Library and drops them both into his chair. “If you want it sooner, just tell me.  It would be much better than this torture, mia cassimia.”

Bella kisses him on the chin and tells him, “I will.  And I will keep in mind the torture as you call it.”

He shakes his head.  Then changes subject, “So while I made dinner, I contacted some of the witches I know and put in some orders for stones for you.  I know Elijah said he would take care of it, but the more the merrier, I think.” And he will not trust the safety of his love to anyone, not even her father.

She nods at him.  “You would know best, so I default to your wisdom, oh great one.”

He tickles her as he lifts an eyebrow, “Oh great one?  I think you are exaggerating there, mia cara.”

Her laughter peals out and the two of them settle down after Damon teases her some more.  When they are calm, Damon asks, “Let’s get this on the road.  Show me what you got so far.”

“Hope you are ready for this, because it’s been a ride for me…”

* * *

**Final count, 2,183 words.**

**Fairfarren~Wendy**


	14. Lives In A Dream

# Lives In A Dream

**[ ](http://kittyinaz.files.wordpress.com/2012/12/used-apr12-s-holton-lake-view-1-wash-co-apr15-20121.jpg) **

**Pre Edit Count -   2,624 Words**

_Song I listened to for this chapter: She is The Sunlight_ by Trading Yesterday.

* * *

_Previous:_

_He tickles her as he lifts an eyebrow, “Oh great one?  I think you are exaggerating there, mia cara.”_

_Her laughter peals out and the two of them settle down after Damon teases her some more.  When they are calm, Damon asks, “Let’s get this on the road.  Show me what you got so far.”_

_“Hope you are ready for this, because it’s been a ride for me…”_

_Now:_

* * *

As Bella and Damon get comfy in the chair they are sharing, she tells him, “Basically like I told you before dinner, I thought about the Cold Ones.  They make no sense.  And I thought also about Elena and the curse.” Her hands are playing with his, amazed how long his fingers are.

Damon nods, his eyes watching her, waiting for her to continue but enjoying this time with the two of them.

[ ](http://kittyinaz.files.wordpress.com/2012/12/klaus-talking.gif)

She looks up at him, “I don’t understand why Klaus was cursed and if it is something that nature wanted.  If it does, how will it make sure that Elena doesn’t become a vampire?  Since nature basically mated Elena and Elijah, then what about Klaus?” Her mind is busy cataloguing the differences and she is not coming up with anything that sounds right, nor a definitive answer.

Then she grimaces. “What really doesn’t make sense to me is how it seems like nature is a living being in all this.  Is there a Gaia?  Think about it.  It seems to direct the witches to do its will directly.” She looks up at her mate again, to see if he has any input, he has been around and has seen more witches than she has dreamed of.

Damon stares off, thinking.  “Emily loved and worked for Katherine.  But it was more like she was obsessed with her, at other times it seemed like she was being guided by someone else.  It never made sense to me, but she is the one who spared the vampires in the church from being burned.  She was also the one to make my first daylight ring, the one I still wear as well as another one.  I have been told the enchantment on it is particularly strong, so I make it a point to retrieve it if someone takes it.” And the mate to his ring is the one he will be gifting to Bella as her daylight ring, their mating ring.

He negligently kisses her head as he continues. “I agree with your thoughts on the Cold Ones.  Why are they even here, how in the world could they come about?  But then I used to think the same way about my own species.” He shrugs.  He really hadn’t wondered much on the why’s just making sure he survives.

“I think, as Elijah said, that nature needed something to be the top of the pyramid.  Vampires can be brought down by many different things, so there was something that could keep the population under control.  In fact, nature went out of its way to make sure that there will always be your species around.  It also made sure that you can eat without killing your prey completely, which goes back to the balance issue.  The Cold Ones can easily overrun the earth, and end all the species on it by not being careful.  Especially since they can survive on any blood.  For you guys it weakens you to drink animal blood, again, a balance.  You will maintain your food source.” Bella winces as she puts it so baldly, but it is true.

[ ](http://kittyinaz.files.wordpress.com/2012/12/damon-172.png)

Nodding his head, Damon leans his head back to study her face.  He shakes his head as he tells her, “You are amazing.  You are introduced to this world and have it down so well.  I am beginning to feel redundant.” He grins as he says the last to her.

Bella leans forward to kiss him with a smile playing on her lips.  “Never.  You just need to realize I had most of the information already, but had dismissed it as wrong because I had personal knowledge of vampires.  Now that I know that it is real, I have made an effort to recall everything and work on it in my mind.  But the most pressing thing is, what about Elena?  I think we will need to find out what is so special about Klaus that he has this curse and what it is.  I cannot go forward until we find out that piece of information.” She is musing on the last part as she just stares at his handsome face.

Damon smirks. “Then, since we are at an impasse, then what should we do, mia carissia?” He will help her find out what she needs to know, but for now, this is the first day they have had with no visitors and just each other.

Laughing at his facial expressions, Bella teases him back, “I have no idea.  You’re the one who slept in all day.”

Damon just smirks at her as he leans forward to claim a kiss from her.  He loves the way she tastes.  It makes him wonder what the rest of her will taste like.  The thought is enough to make him growl lightly.  He licks the bottom of her lip to gain entrance to her mouth.  As he does, his tongue sweeps in to claim it again as his own, but at the same time, his hands come up to cradle her face gently. He treasures this woman, this one in a million chance that he has.  This one woman who is his, and gladly admits that she is his, and his only.

Moaning into his mouth as she gives up the fight quickly, she at the same time feels not only treasured but possessed by Damon.  All she can think of is to give thanks to whomever has given her this wonderful man, who seems to be uniquely qualified to understand her.

He too has had his own heartbreak and thankfully, he was turned.  Unfortunately, he has waited a long time for her.  However, no one can deny that Damon used the time to benefit them both.  From comments Elijah had dropped last night, Damon was unusually strong.

Soon, Damon’s kissing drove out even the thoughts of him as she found something inside her was clamoring for him too.  It is as though every move of his tongue was tied to her womanhood.  Before long, that urge is becoming too much and she turns in his arms and straddles him, Damon only breaking from his kisses to allow her to breath. She arches up into his mouth as he worships her neck until she catches her breathe, and he is right back at her mouth, claiming it as his.

When Damon had to give into her human needs, he kisses up and down her throat, whispering his devotion to her.  When she turns in his arms to straddle him, it took everything he had not to react to the new position.  He has promised her that he will take it easy on her, and if nothing else, he will try his utmost to keep his promises to her.

But when she moves and thrusts her hips into his, he could not restrain his own reaction to it.  He groans as he rests his head against her neck as he gives into the need coursing through him to give in and claim his mate.  But to hold himself back from all he wishes to do to her, he has to move his hands to the chair arms.

Lost in her own lust, Bella doesn’t notice at first that while Damon is thrusting up into her, his hands are nowhere close to her.  It wasn’t until after she had put her hands on his shoulders as she felt herself reaching that cliff, and she opened her eyes as she leans back, to stare into his eyes did she realize that his hands were on the arms of his chair, barely stopping from breaking the chair with the force of his grip.

All this is taken in, but nothing could be done as they both came from their actions, and completely with no thought into it, both bite into each other, making them both cum again. Both lost in each other, not thinking of anything but the need they have for each other.

After a few minutes, Damon only then puts his hands on her as he licks his bite closed.  When he is sure she wouldn’t bleed, he falls back into the chair with a sigh, bringing her with him.  He cuddles her to him, whispering his love to her as he feels himself purr at her. He cannot believe she is his.  She is so perfect.  He smirks as he realizes she is as horny as he himself is.

When she gains back her breath, she looks up into Damon’s face. “Why?”

He looks down at her with a smirk on his face and tells her, “Because you didn’t tell me you are ready.  Mia Carissia, I promised to hold off, to wait until you are ready.  And I will do nothing to make you not trust me.  I told you, you are the light of my eyes, my sunlight.  I love you.” By the end of this, his eyes soften as does his face, showing his devotion to her.  As much as he wants her, needs her even, he will do nothing to ever have her doubt his word to her.

Bella smiles, as she tells him, “I love you too.  And you could have.  I think I may have a slight idea of what you are going through, love.” She looks up at him through her eyelashes as she says the last part.

He smiles at her and just admits to her as he tucks a piece of her hair behind her ear, “When you are ready. You will let me know, cara.  We have forever.”

She laughs up at him and then asks shyly, “Will you take a bath with me, Damon?  For some reason, I feel the need to.” A light blush takes her face as she looks down drawing on his chest lightly.

He grins at her as he grabs her fingers and bestows a kiss on them.  “And then I have done my job, milady.  But I will love to take a bath with you.  Why don’t you go start the bath and I will get us some wine.” He is getting the idea that she is working herself up, and he will do anything to relax her.  Not like he would have before, waiting for the time he can fuck the woman, no this time, he wants her comfortable, knowing that she is his, and if she doesn’t want to this time, they still have taken steps forward in helping her gets over her nerves.

Bella grins at him mischievously as she says a little louder, “Master Bath, fill tub at preferred temperature.  Master Suite, start fire.”

Not being able to help himself, Damon laughs as he touches her on the nose. “Spoiled princess.”  He stands up and sets her on the floor. “Now get upstairs and get yourself some bubbles.”  He watches her as she laughs at him and kisses his cheek as she leaves.

He mutters to himself, “Hate to see you leave, but love to see you go.”  He shakes himself and goes to pour them some wine.  While he could not make it quite as romantic as he wishes to, he can try.  He tells himself that he will just have to make sure to take her out soon, pull out all the stops.

[ ](http://kittyinaz.files.wordpress.com/2012/12/damon-29.png)

As he enters the kitchen, heading to the wine room, his phone rings.  He pulls it out as he opens the hermetically sealed door, “This is Damon.” He walks in the room, taking the second to smile as he notices how organized even this is.

“Are you never coming home?”

Damon smirks as he selects a bottle of wine. “Actually, if you wish to get technical about it, I am home.  But then, I also own the boarding house as well as the Salvatore lands.  So be nice brother.  I am your landlord, remember.”

As he is talking, he exits the room, heading to the wine glasses. He thinks to himself how at home he feels here, even though he has not been here a full day, it is more home than the Boarding house.

“So you are just going to live there?  What about when Bella gets tired of you, or you her?  This wouldn’t be the first time you have attached yourself to someone.”

Damon just couldn’t let Stefan to make him upset. “Yes, never, and this is different.  But then you wouldn’t understand, brother.  Tell me, have you ever told Elena about Rebecca?  Or were you just going to wait until she shows up to drop that bomb on her?” He lifts his eyebrow as he makes his point to Stefan, knowing the answer.

Stefan growls into the phone as he turns to the fire in the fireplace.  “None of your damn business, Damon.  But then have you told Bella about your past hook-ups?  Or how you wanted my girlfriend?”

“Yes to both.  Actually, she guessed the past hook ups.  But as someone who cares about me, she has accepted all of me.  Have you accepted all of Elena, or are you still trying to convince her to allow you to protect her against the big bad world?”  Damon studies the bottle in the light, then nodding to himself on the selection he had made, proceeds to open it.  Deciding that it will be easier to bring the bottle up with him, he leans against the counter. “Stefan, is there an actual reason for this call?  I already told you I was moving in with Bella.  So you know I was not planning to come home.”

Stefan starts to pace.  “Elena has asked Bonnie to put a spell on her place that blocks all vampires from it.  She isn’t answering her phone nor her door and I am worried.”

Damon rolls his eyes as he tells him, “Maybe she wants some private time.  You never know.  Go to bed Stefan and worry about it tomorrow.  I take it you know she is home, so there is no worries.  I, on the other hand, have a beautiful woman waiting for me.  So I bid you Adieu.”  With that, Damon hung up his phone.

He grabs the bottle and glasses and moves quickly through the house, noticing she had put the house on lockdown for the night.  He only stops in the bedroom to strip down to his boxers and then moves into the bathroom.  He pauses as he sees his mate in the bathtub, surrounded by candlelight.

Bella is watching him, her hair piled messily on her head.  She blatantly eye fucks him as she stares at him.  He smirks at her, then unashamedly drops his boxers as he moves to the tub.  He settles in, careful not to splash her as he grins at the overfill rim.  It is a break in the mosaic around the tub, but it allowed the water level to be much higher, and there is no worries of a mess from filling the tub.

[ ](http://kittyinaz.files.wordpress.com/2012/12/damon-14.jpg)

Bella accepts the glass he hands her after pouring it, their fingers caressing each other.  She grins as he settles in the tub, stretching out.  He takes a drink from his own glass as he sets down the bottle where he can reach it in case she wishes more, then eyeballing her, extends a hand to her. She unhesitantly puts her hand in his, and moves to where she is lying with her back to his chest.

Damon relaxes with arms around her, nuzzling into her neck. He kisses where he bit her earlier. The spot surprises him as it smells slightly of him, but he enjoys it.  Her smelling of him is very pleasing to him and the beast inside of him.

Her eyes sliding close with his attentions she asks softly, “Who called?”

Giving a last kiss to her neck, he asks her, “How did you know someone called?”

Not even thinking about it, she tells him, “Over the years, my hearing and a bunch of other things have enhanced.  Not near to your guys level, but definitely above human.  I suspect it is an effect of the venom that was in my body, since the bite is cooler than the rest of my body.”

Damon’s arms pull her tighter as he growls, “And you are telling me this, now?” He’s not mad at her listening, but on how that one bite might cause issues later down the road for her.

Sighing, she cuddles into him. “It hasn’t been brought up and quite frankly it hardly passes my mind anymore.  I don’t get sick, I don’t have a lot of the issues that I hear from others.  Just once in a while I notice it, and this time, I think it is because of me wanting to hear you come in. I couldn’t hear your conversation, just that I know your ringtone.”

He kisses her forehead, trying to gauge her temperature.  He knows he runs slightly higher than normal, but still cool to a human’s touch.  Just enough that woman tend to think he had poor circulation.  But he couldn’t tell if Bella was cooler than a normal human.

Wrapping his arms around her to bring her slightly higher on him, he kisses her neck again.  “I’m sorry.  You have no idea how much the thought of someone else having your blood bothers me.  And it’s not just me.  To let you know, after you fell asleep, Elijah wanted to know more about you.  When I showed him the bite, he was pissed to say the least.  He has claimed you as his, his claim being higher than anyone’s but mine.  A lot of that has to do with his standing, and in fact it is because you are my mate, is the only reason mine is higher.  This means that your blood belongs to us.  To me actually, but he feels propriety towards it also.”

Bella frowns as she comments, “I went from being a nobody to people outside my field, to-“

“A princess basically.  Elijah is Old World.  He probably ranks higher than those royals in Volturi.  And being acknowledged as his daughter, well let’s just say you are a princess now, Cara.”

Bella laughs.  Damon growls as the movement makes him harder for her.  He tells her, “Mia Carissia, if you keep doing that, there will be actions taking place.”

She grins at him.  “Why do you think I suggested the bath?   This is my way of trying to make peace with the virgin nerves.”  She gets serious. “Damon, like I said earlier, I am getting an idea of how you feel.  I can barely keep myself still, and I promise you, I am nervous!”

Damon tells her softly, “I will wait, Bella.”

She smiles at his soft confession. “But what if I don’t want you to?”

* * *

**Final count: 3,246 words**

**Fairfarren~Wendy**


	15. Light Start to Tremble

# Light Start to Tremble

**[ ](http://kittyinaz.files.wordpress.com/2013/02/virginia-falls.jpg) **

There be Lemons!!

**Disclosure:  Twilight and Vampire Diaries are owned by their respective braianics that thought of it.**

**Pre Edit Count -   2,752 Words**

_Song I listened to for this chapter: If I Lose Myself_ by OneRepublic.

* * *

_Previous:_

_Bella frowns as she comments, “I went from being a nobody to people outside my field, to-“_

_“A princess basically.  Elijah is Old World.  He probably ranks higher than those royals in Volturi.  And being acknowledged as his daughter, well let’s just say you are a princess now, Cara.”_

_Bella laughs.  Damon growls as the movement makes him harder for her.  He tells her, “Mia Carissia, if you keep doing that, there will be actions taking place.”_

_She grins at him.  “Why do you think I suggested the bath?   This is my way of trying to make peace with the virgin nerves.”  She gets serious. “Damon, like I said earlier, I am getting an idea of how you feel.  I can barely keep myself still, and I promise you, I am nervous!”_

_Damon tells her softly, “I will wait, Bella.”_

_She smiles at his soft confession. “But what if I don’t want you to?”_

_Now:_

* * *

Her words ringing in his mind, Damon looks down at her.  “Mia Carissia, there is no hurry.  I told you I will wait, and I have enough self-control to be able to keep that promise.” He only wants to make sure she has no regrets.  Their lives will be too long for any kind of doubts to be present.

Bella looks up at him, her brown eyes solemn. “But Damon, I don’t want to wait.  I want to know what it is like having you.  Knowing that you are my first and last, knowing I am your last.  I want to know what I have been missing.  I want to feel closer to you.”

Damon wraps both arms around her as he drops his chin to her shoulder. “I may have enough self-control to wait for you, mia Stellina, but I cannot guarantee that it will be enough not to stop from turning you tonight.  This is why I am willing to wait.” He kisses his mark on her neck. “I love you, Bella.  And I have fucked up enough times to know that love is selfless.  So I want you to realize that if we do this, you may not wake human in the morning.” He tries to hide how badly he wishes for this, to make her his in every possible way.  This is her choice.

Snuggling into his arms, and not mistaking the evidence of his arousal on her back, Bella says to Damon. “You’re right.  And I have thought of nothing but this for the past few days.  Especially after Elijah told us last night that you would probably turn me.  And while I appreciate the thought of you waiting for me to handle not being human, but think about it, Damon.  I have been aware of this option since Fuckward left me.  Actually beforehand.  And I can’t help but think that with all we have been told, this will be safer for both of us.”

She looks up at him, staring into his eyes, “I don’t want to lose you, Damon.  Either by my own death or by yours.  These feelings, they may have been sudden to everyone else, but I can’t stand to be away from you, I feel only complete when you are next to me.  I feel for the first time in a long time, safe.  Loved.  Cherished.  The feel of your arms are home, and the feeling of you next to me is unexplainable.  Which makes me wonder how you will feel inside of me, when the two of us are joined closer than any other beings on the planet with the exception of 4 others?  Closer than any being ever on the planet.  I deserve that.  You deserve that with all the pain you have felt over the years.”

Damon’s eyes close as her words hit home. A tear escapes as she describes his fear of losing her, of how he feels for her in the short while.  He will kill to keep her from harm.  And to know she feels the same way is amazing for him, the one who has always come out in second place with the women of his life.

Bella’s voice drops, “And that is just me.  How about you?  You’ve been alone for so long, chasing a ghost.  Sacrificing everything to be ready for her, to keep her safe, to only find that the sacrifices were in vain, that she never loved you.” A tear escapes as she thinks back on how much pain her mate has been in over the many years as he unknowingly waited for her.

Damon pulls her closer as he tells her roughly, “None of it was a sacrifice in vain.  It was all in preparation for you, my Tatina, mia carissia.   Nothing was too much because it brought me you.  Bella, I love you.  I have loved rashly before, never understanding the truth of it.  And now?  Now all I want to do is take care of you, love you, shower you with everything you could ever want or need.  To find that you treasure actions more than physical possessions, is a blessing.  As you have mentioned before, I am a romantic at heart, and now I have someone who will truly appreciate it.”  He ends the outpouring of his heart with a kiss. One that he tries to convey everything he just said into.

Bella gives in to his demand that she open her mouth to him, allowing him in.  She allows him to explore her mouth, as she lightly teases him by teasing his tongue with hers.  They ended the kiss with a laugh, Damon rubbing his nose on hers.

“Only you, mia carissia, can turn a kiss with the two of us naked in a tub, with high sexual tension, into a fun time.”  His eyes then search hers as he gently asks, “Are you sure, mia Bella?”

She turns in the tub and straddles him while pulling his head towards hers and she claims the kiss. Meeting his lips with hers, nipping at his lips, until he lets her in, then sweeping in to map it out, to claim what is hers. She continues until she is breathless, then she looks into his eyes and asks, “What do you think?”

His eyes are dilated as he stares back into her brown eyes.  She cups his face and tells him softly, “I have never been happier that your type of vampire doesn’t change their eye color.  What a shame to have lost these.”

Damon smirks as he leans forward.  He kisses her quickly as his arms wrap around her, bringing her closer. “Seriously Bella?  You want to talk about the color of my eyes when we have so much else we can be doing with our mouths?”

Bella laughs, “Ah, there is the Damon I met.  I wondered if I would have the joy of him again.”

Damon’s hands spread on her back, as he leans forward to nip at her neck.  He intentionally thrust with his hips.  At her gasp, he tells her huskily, “I can only ask so many times, mia carissia.” He kisses down her throat, leaving behind little marks from his teeth that he soothes with his tongue.

Bella’s breathe hitches in her throat as she feels the bites he is giving shooting straight to her stomach.  She leans back into his arms, knowing he will not let her fall, giving him room to do with her as he pleases.  She chuckles as she realizes that she is about to receive the benefits of a Mate who has probably had thousands of sorority girls in his life up to now.

Damon smirks as he tells her, lips hovering over her collarbone.  “You know, most men would be put off by their woman chuckling as they work to turn them on.  However, knowing you, mia stellina, you will have been thinking that will make me laugh with you.”

Not able to hold in the laugh, she shakes in his arms.  But the next minute, he verifies her thoughts of the benefits of having an experienced Mate by trailing his tongue down between her breasts, and looking into her eyes as he slides over to her left nipple, teasing it with his teeth.

He grins at her as her laughter turns into gasps of pleasure.  Damon uses his mouth to nuzzle and suck until her nipples is hard as a diamond.

Bella’s head is so far back, her hair is trailing in the water.  Her eyes are hooded with lust as Damon works to pleasure her.  Her mouth is open as she tries to catch her breath, which she can quite never seem to catch since anytime she comes close, he senses it and does something to make her either gasp or moan in pleasure.

Damon is looking up her body as he lays her down in the water.  “Mio Dio, donna, sei la vista più bella del mondo. Quello che fai per me dovrebbe essere contro le leggi della fisica.” ( _My gods, woman, you are the most beautiful sight in the world. What you do to me should be against the laws of physics._ )

Looking down her body at the dark haired god below her, she attempts to smile as she tells him, “I know some Italian, but I have no idea what you just said.”

Damon kisses her stomach then turns her so that when he stands, he is holding her bridal style.  He looks down at her as he carries them into their bedroom. “We have a lifetime and then some.  I will teach it to you.”  He reverently lays her down, staring into her brown eyes.  He then tells her softly, “Last time, Bella.”

Bella leans up on her elbows and asks him, “Do you promise that this is the last time, Damon?”

He smirks as he admits, “I do seem to ask you that a lot don’t I?”  Then his face gets serious as he climbs on the bed, bestowing kisses as he makes his way up her body until he is laying on her. “But I have never had someone who has loved me for me.  I know how badly I want this.  I want us to be one.  I want you to be mine for the rest of time.  I want that assurance of nothing being able to take you away from me.  Because if you are ever taken from me, I will fight for you.   And if you are taken away from me by death, I will follow you in a heartbeat.  Bella, you are everything to me.  Please excuse me as I make sure this is what you want.”

Bella reaches up and cups Damon’s cheek. “You are all I want, Damon.  Make me yours.”

Damon reaches down and kisses her.  With one hand, he reaches out to the table beside them and quickly opening the drawer and getting the item he wishes, he hovers right above her lips as he asks her, “Be mine, mia carissia.  Be mine for the rest of time.”

When she smiles and divulges to him in a soft voice, “I already am, Damon.” He grins and slides his hand down to her left hand and never looking away from her eyes, he slides the ring on, kissing it when it is in its place.  He watches her, waiting for her reaction.

[ ](http://kittyinaz.files.wordpress.com/2013/02/bellas-ring.jpg)

When she realizes he wants her reaction, she glances at her hand.  Her face goes blank in shock as she stares at it. “Damon…”

He smiles.  “That was what I was looking for.  And before you go saying it is too much, it’s only the beginning.  We may need to wear the stone, but I wanted it to mean something else for the two of us.”  He laughs. “I got some more pieces that, as I told you before, I had spelled.  But that one, that one is spelled by the same person who spelled mine.  I saw it and could not, not buy it.   However, I also could not give it to Katherine or anyone else.  In fact to be truthful, I thought I lost it until I was gathering my things the other day, and it fell out of a suit pocket.”

Smiling up at him, Bella reaches up and kisses him. “You know, for a horny man, you sure are talkative…”

Damon laughs as he kisses her back.  He sits back on his knees, admiring her body in front of him.  They both were still wet from the bath, and he is sure that there will be words later.  But for now, everything is perfect.  He trails his hands down her body, admiring it. Loving how creamy her skin is next to his.

When he reaches her hips, he smirks as she tries to move under him.  But he ignores her, and lightly trails his hands down the outside of legs, moving them outside of his own.  He is enjoying the view, knowing no one has or will see what is in front of him.

Watching him, Bella can see the moment when his possessiveness comes over him.  His eyes darken, and the veins around his eyes darken slightly.  Not enough for anyone else to notice, but enough for her, who studies his face as though it is a portrait, notices.

When his eyes flick up to hers, he grins and then without warning, he is between her thighs, his tongue making a sweep from her clit to her entrance.

Her hips try to rock, but Damon has her held down, as he starts to educate her on the lessons he has learned over the years.  And before Bella is unable to think anymore, she thanks everyone who taught Damon.

Damon’s blue eyes are locked on hers, wanting to read every reaction from her to know if he is doing it correctly.  This is his other half, his Mate.  He wants nothing but to make her feel good.

As her hands descend on his hair, he grins.  And frees one hand to slowly enter her, as he traces lazy eights around her clit with his tongue.  His grin gets only bigger as he realizes that she will be this tight for the rest of their lives together.

He slowly adds another finger, stretching her.  He also is looking to see if her hymen is intact.  He adds a third as he finds none, and picks up his pace on her clit, alternating sucking it, with flicking it as his fingers curl for her G-Spot.  As he hits it, he moans, enjoying her flavor as his fingers pump it out of her slick hole.

Bella cannot put one thought in front of the other, not when Damon is doing his best to drive them out of her.  Before she knows it, that slow burn that he has been stroking at suddenly bursts, and she jerks up as she screams his name.

Only moving to make sure none of the fluids escaping from her is missed, Damon’s hips thrust into the bed once before he can stop himself.  He can feel her still fluttering around his tongue, but his brain is turning off, only his mating urge is present.

[ ](http://kittyinaz.files.wordpress.com/2013/05/tumblr_mfyt4aozqz1r8825ko1_500.gif)

Bella suddenly opens her eyes to find him in front of her.  His eyes are blood red around his blue iris, but his veins are not prominent as they were the other night.  He is staring at her, and then kisses her gently.

Then she gasps as he thrusts once into her, sheathing his cock in her.  He holds himself above her, kissing her as she adjusts.

Once she realizes that she just feels full, no real pain, she moves slightly. Damon takes that as his sign that he can start to move.  And he does just that, slowly.  He is mostly all instinct, but that instinct is still of a man/vampire who loves his Mate deeply.  And with this being their first joining, he wants to make sure she enjoys it as much as he does. But he cannot deny the feel of her wrapped around his cock is pure pleasure, like none before.

Bella wraps her legs around his hips as she meets each of his thrusts with her hips.  The pleasure he is building inside of her is starting to burn and she gasps out, “Damon!” This is nothing like she thought it would be, and everything she dreamed.

He grins down at her, never changing from his pace.  He is determined that she will come before him.  It is the only thought that is running through his head.  He lays one arm down, using it to hold himself above her as he reaches down between them, finding her nub and rubbing it just hard enough to make her come.

He throws his head back, gritting his teeth as her walls grip him.  He doesn’t slow down until she is panting his name over and over as her orgasm subsides.

Before she is completely back to normal, he slides out of her, flipping her around until her rear is before him, presenting herself to him.  He growls, and the last part of his humanity is gone as he thrusts back into her.  His pace is brutal, but there is nothing but pleasure for them both.  Not even thinking of what he is doing, he brings his wrist to his mouth, and tears it open before presenting it to her.  He himself sliding up to her neck.

Bella latches on, drinking deeply of him, only hesitating when his mouth bites into her, and that is from the pure pleasure ripping through them both as they come together yet again.

That is the last thing either remembers for the night…

* * *

**Final count, 2,988 words.**

**Fairfarren~Wendy**


	16. All Systems Go

# All Systems Go

**[ ](http://kittyinaz.files.wordpress.com/2013/03/waterfall-2-location-virginia-water-berkshire-uk-a20519962.jpg) **

**Pre Edit Count -   3,460 Words**

_Song I listened to for this chapter: Radioactive_ by Imagine Dragons.

* * *

_Previous:_

_Before she is completely back to normal, he slides out of her, flipping her around until her rear is before him, presenting herself to him.  He growls, and the last part of his humanity is gone as he thrusts back into her.  His pace is brutal, but there is nothing but pleasure for them both.  Not even thinking of what he is doing, he brings his wrist to his mouth, and tears it open before presenting it to her.  He himself sliding up to her neck._

_Bella latches on, drinking deeply of him, only hesitating when his mouth bites into her, and that is from the pure pleasure ripping through them both as they come together yet again._

_That is the last thing either remembers for the night…_

_Now:_

* * *

The sun creeps into the sleepy town of Mystic Falls.  As the light washes over the town, it lands upon the home of the newest Mated vampires in the world.

[ ](http://kittyinaz.files.wordpress.com/2013/03/damon-33.png)

Damon wakes up when the sun rose, his instincts crying out for him to procure blood for his Mate.  He growls low as he realizes that his senses are heightened more than they were last night.  He also can feel his Bella, in transition beside him.  He can feel everything, realizing that he will always know where she is, what she is feeling, if she is in need of food or anything really.

He smirks when he realizes that his little carissia will never be able to hide her wants or needs from him.  He knew it meant the same for him, but it didn’t bother him.

[ ](http://kittyinaz.files.wordpress.com/2013/03/lady-in-bed.jpg)

Turning to his Mate, he has no idea he has vamped out.  All he knows is the longer he waits, the more his instincts call out for him to be ready to feed her.

He springs out of bed but only after he nuzzles her, taking in the scent of them both on her.  He dresses without a real thought, heading out of the room, but only after making sure she is covered.  She is his, no other can see her.

He heads to the painting she had used to close up the house, and used the code she had told him last night to unlock the house.  But he did not withdraw the shutters, and put the system on a countdown.  He will need to go out to get a human, but he wanted the house on lockdown.  Nothing will be getting through to his mate!

[ ](http://kittyinaz.files.wordpress.com/2013/03/elijah-10.png)

But when he opens the door, Elijah is standing there with a human by his side.

Elijah looks at his son in law, and can see a slight difference.  He can tell the urge to Mate is gone, but Damon is now part of a very small group who is basically slaved to his Mate.  Bella will be no better, it is a truly symbiotic relationship that Mates have.  Luckily, all the couples who have been Mated have all deeply loved their Mates.

“I brought a human as soon as I felt the backwash of power.  No need to worry, you and Bella are mine now.”  Elijah negligently tells him, then raises an eyebrow at him, waiting for the invitation into their home.

Damon shudders, and then carefully backs away.

Elijah grabs the human and they are both inside in seconds.  Elijah sighs.  He turns to Damon and tells him. “Remember our conversation?”

Damon lifts an eyebrow at him as he comments, “Which one?  We had many.”

Elijah smirks at him.  “The one where she will be feeding from you?”

Damon nods.

Looking up where his daughter is, he tells him, “It starts now.  You need to drink from him, then go straight to your Mate.  I will wait in the library.  Don’t worry about how long it takes, just come down when you both are ready.  I take it, you have gifted her with a suitable gift for the sun?”

Vamping over to the human, Damon gave into his instincts and drank.  His eyes squint as the blood tastes slightly flat to him.  But he drinks, his instincts driving him.  He finally withdrawals, and the next second is upstairs with Bella as she wakes.

Elijah catches the witch and gives him some of his blood.  He grins.  He wanted his daughter to have every chance possible.  It has never been proven that it is any different for them to transition on human or witch blood, but it doesn’t hurt either.  He grins upstairs at his children and makes his way into the Library.  There will be a lot needing to be done today.

* * *

When Damon is in the room, he sheds his clothing without thought as he makes his way across the room to his Mate.  Without stopping, he is soon on the bed on all fours, his body caging his Mates.  His eyes are trained on her, while his senses keep track of the other males in the house.

When Bella wakes up, the first thing she sees is Damon.  Right before she woke up, his face fell from his vamped out visage and is his normal one, staring back at her.

He smiles, “Good morning mia carissia.  How do you feel?” his hand reaches up and cups her jaw tenderly.

She smiles, and tells him honestly, “Thirsty.  And odd…”

He smirks.  “Just wait, carissia.  My senses are way above normal, and I have no doubt yours will be fun too.  But first, you need to feed.  And your dear father, as well as my own instincts, tell me that you need your first meal from me.”

Bella scrunches her forehead, “Damon, I thought that I had to feed from a human?”

[ ](http://kittyinaz.files.wordpress.com/2013/03/kiss-1.jpg)

Damon smiles down, as he lowers himself to her lips.  After kissing her, he asks huskily, “But what are your instincts telling you to do?”

A tear fall from her eye, “It’s telling me to attack you, to drink you.”  Then her voice turns pleading, “Damon, I don’t want to hurt you!”

He gathers her in his arms as he turns them.  He holds her to him as he quietly ssh’s her.  He tells her quietly in her ear, “You will never hurt me.  Bella, I need you to drink from me.  I don’t understand it, but please, mia carissia, please drink from me.  Once you have, we will head downstairs to Elijah and find out what is going on.”

He turns her in his arms and leans his head to the side, guiding her head to his neck gently.  He hears the sound of her fangs and then his eyes roll back in pleasure from her bite.

Without actively thinking on it, Damon thrusts up as Bella moves in sync with him.  He impales her with his cock, both of them moaning in relief.  They move together, Bella riding Damon as she drinks from him. His hands dropping to her hips to help her along, feeling the incredible feeling of her, being inside her, feeling her walls as they caress him, both of them working together in sync to bring them to release.

The pleasure building in the two of them is indescribable.  It felt as though they are feeling each other’s pleasure, being in the other’s body as their bond strengthens from her transitioning.

Unable to help himself, Damon sinks his fangs into Bella’s neck as he is thrusting up into her.  With each draw from the other, their Bond intensifies, and solidifies into an unbreakable Mating Bond.  Both climax at the same time, holding onto the other.

They both lick each other’s necks as they calm down.  Once Damon is reasoning again, he nuzzles her neck and tells her, “I love you, my Bella.”

Bella laughs softly as she pulls back to look into his eyes.  She notices the red fading away from his eyes and the veins retracting in his face.  Her hand moves faster than she thought it would, but Damon doesn’t flinch from her as her fingers trail down his face softly.  The only movement he does is as they pass his mouth is to reach up and hold them as he kisses them gently.

[ ](http://kittyinaz.files.wordpress.com/2012/10/ian-somerhalden-aka.png)

Looking at him, made her aware of how handsome he was.  He was not like Edward with the beautiful body and face, no Damon is all male.  He could never be called beautiful by anyone standards, no his jaw and his overall demeanor is all as manly male as any could ever ask.  But at the same time, he is not overly built either, he is perfect in her eyes, as male as any woman would wish.

Bella murmurs, “I really lucked out with you.”

Laughing at her, Damon ran his hand through her hair and teases her, “You mean I lucked out with you.  Damn, but I didn’t think you could be any more perfect than before, but you had to go prove me wrong, my Bella.”

The laughter that escapes her this time vibrates through the house.  Elijah in the Library, talking with the witch, who has recovered by now, looks up and smiles.

Damon is grinning up to her and tells her softly, “Elijah’s here.  I think we need to meet with him, mia Carissia.  I can tell you already there are changes to me, and how things are normally done.”

Sighing, Bella tells him bluntly, “I don’t want to move.”

Smirking, Damon pulls her closer as he murmurs back, “Me neither.  I wanted to be right where I am since I met you, Bella.  But we need the information.  And me going to get you a human, well the only way I was able to leave is because my instincts were driving me to get you blood.”

Bella looks up at him through her eyelashes, “And I take that is not normal?”

Cursing under his breath, Damon lifts her face up by a finger under her chin, “I don’t need any incentives to stay in bed with you.  But the sooner we get down there, the sooner we can be back up here in bed.  We may not surface for a couple days, weeks, months…”

Grinning at him, Bella shakes her head.  “I get it.”  She kisses Damon, then pulls herself off of him.  Both growl as they separate.  Damon watches her as she stands, unabashedly enjoying the view his Mate is giving him.

[ ](http://kittyinaz.files.wordpress.com/2013/03/garters.jpg)

Bella heads into the closet, laughing as she hears Damon groan.  She grabs a black dress, and feeling mischievous, grabs some stalkings and a garter.  She figures Damon will enjoy taking them off.

She carefully dresses, marveling at her new senses, at how even the material feels.  She never cared about it before.  As she is bringing the last of the dress down her legs, another pair of hands help her.

Damon is smirking as he asks, “You are making sure we make our way back here as fast as possible aren’t you?” his hands caress the skin between her garters and the band of the lace covering her.

Leaning back in his arms, Bella tells him, “I’m making up for lost time.”

He nuzzles her neck as he is chuckling.  He literally cannot seem to stay away from her.  Everything, her body, her scent, her being calls to him.  And he is not resisting at all.

Sighing, he backs away holding out his hand to her.  She smiles, and after slipping into some heels, takes it.  Pulling her close to him, he holds her left hand and kisses the ring he had put there last night.  Then leads her downstairs to the meeting with her father.

* * *

Elijah stands as they enter the room, his smile widening as he senses the changes in her.  He glances at Jonas Martin as he notices the witch staring at her.

Damon moves slightly in front of her when he notices the look from the human he had drank from to give Bella the blood needed to transition.  He growls at the human as he brings Bella closer to him and rest his hand on her hip.

Not knowing why her mate is upset, Bella complies instantly with his movements and rests her hand on his hip, letting him know where she is.  She also went to extend her shield to cover Damon, but finds that it is already covering him, both sides.

Elijah is in front of Jonas growling and tells him, “Submit or die.  Your choice.”

Jonas’s eyes widen and he immediately drops his eyes and bears his neck to his master. Elijah growls, and then asks, “Are you satisfied, Damon?”

Damon is vibrating with the need to protect his mate.  He looks at the man and then Elijah.  But he only calms when Bella rests her other hand on his back.  Taking a deep breath, he closes his eyes and calms the power that is raging inside of him.  Only when he is calm does he allow Bella from behind him.

Elijah cocks his head as he turns.  He lifts an eyebrow to Damon, and when the vampire nods, he opens his arms to Bella.

Moving quickly, she moves to him and sighs once his arms are around her.  She felt at home.  Not quite as grounded as when she is with Damon, he is everything to her, her sun, moon, her very being centers around him.  But Elijah is what she has been missing in her life when she would hug her father.

Damon smiles at the feeling he is getting from her as he heads to the liquor cabinet to pour them a drink.

[ ](http://kittyinaz.files.wordpress.com/2013/03/mine.png)

Once Damon has their drinks and is heading to the chair they normally sit in, Elijah leads her to him and seats her with him, smiling the whole way.  As he makes his way back to his seat, he glares at Jonas as he stares at her.

[ ](http://kittyinaz.files.wordpress.com/2013/03/jonas-2.jpg)

Jonas can feel the stare of Elijah and Damon and he tries to explain it to them, “There is a power in her that I have only sensed in Elijah and you Damon before.  I cannot explain it.  She is closer to Damon as she feels like a contained lightning storm, but what is containing it is Elijah’s calm.  I cannot explain it any better than that.  It is soothing but at the same time it energizes and captures the attention.”

Elijah thinks and finally comments, “That would make sense.  Bella, do you feel our connection now?”

Damon’s hand is on her knee as she is leaning into his side with her arms wrapped around his arm and leaning her head against his shoulder.  She looks up to Elijah from where she had been studying dust motes in the light.  She smiles and nods. “It’s unbelievable to feel.”

Then she frowns.  “I know I will have to give up Charlie, but I feel faint feelings of guilt for this…”

Elijah nods. “Understandable.  He is your actual biological father and has supported you more than anyone else.  This doesn’t upset me, nor does it change anything.  You’re my daughter for all intents and purposes.  Damon is now my son, but even he is not as close as you and I are.   He is only my son because of the Mating, his blood and yours are one and the same, as it should be.  But your conversion to your vampire state has awakened our own Bond, as I thought it would.   For you, it means that for both Damon and you, I would first need to be killed for either one of you to be even harmed.  Or at least that is what Jonas found out.”

Jonas nods, his baritone voice agreeing, “Per the sources I have contacted, Bella is unique in this.  But the sources are all agreeing, both on this plane and on the Other Side.  Bella and Damon, even stabbed by a White Oak Stake, will not die unless Elijah is gone.”

Unable to help himself, Damon chuckles.  “Well, thanks for that Elijah.”

Jonas shakes his head. “It’s Bella you mainly have to thank that for.  She is the missing link, without her, it wouldn’t have happened.  Her connection to Elijah is…amazing.  I really cannot explain it, nor could they.  But it has to do with her.  And you.  Your link to the family played a part in it all too, but again, they have no idea why.  But they all agree you two are the promise of vampires being continued.  It is crucial, and nature itself is working actively to make sure as many steps can be taken to make sure your race continues.”

Damon leans his head back as he sighs.  He asks, “Is it too much to ask for a couple of drama free weeks?  I really wanted to take the time and ravish my mate until she can’t walk.  Then rest before I repeat a couple of times.  I am tired of the witchy afterlife taking away fun times.”

Elijah laughs.  “Life will certainly be more fun for knowing you, Damon.  But think about it.  We have the Cullens, the Sun and Moon curse, my own need to woo my Mate from your brother.  Keeping Elena alive past the sacrifice time so we can find out what to do with the whole situation. Not to mention anything else coming, because none of that sounds like the end of our race type thing.”

Bella grins.  “At least you don’t have to worry about me anymore.”

Both men chuckle at that.  Damon looks down at his diminutive mate as he tells her, “I will always worry about you, my Bella.  And I have no doubt that Elijah will do the same.  You are too important to the both of us to take a chance.”

Elijah nods and watches as she brushes a hand through her hair and smiles. “I take it that is the ring you gave her?”

Damon looks at him and nods.  “It was my mother’s and my father sold it when she died.  When I found it, my memories were hazy but I felt it was important to purchase.  When my first ring was spelled, Emily did that one too.  She told me to give it to my other half, which at the time I thought was Katherine.  But I never could.  In fact as I told Bella, I thought the ring lost until it fell out of a coat pocket.  The spell on it should match my own.”

Jonas nods, “I don’t think anyone could repeat such work again.  The two are made to be worn by mates.  However you gave it to her, was the right way and set the spells.”

Damon just stares at the ring.  He looks up at Elijah and asks bluntly, “Are our lives always going to be governed by the Other Side?”

Elijah lifts an eyebrow as he thinks through what Damon is insinuating.  “It is a disturbing thought.  But right now they are all protecting you and your mate.  Is that so bad?”

Bella is frowning and then, tapping Damon’s hand on her knee rises to go over to her desk.  As she settles in her chair, Damon is behind her, taking her laptop out of its hiding place, handing it to her.

Elijah watches them, the smile hovering on his face.  He is enjoying the two’s closeness, knowing that this will be an eternal happenstance between the two.  And quite honestly, he is thrilled.  No matter what, Damon will ensure her life will be happy and she will be loved.  What father could ask for more?

Bella quickly signs into the laptop and asks Elijah, “Where did your mother come up with the spell to turn you and your family?”

Elijah rises an eyebrow.  “I don’t know.”

Biting her lower lip as she thinks and tries a few searches.  She looks up at him, Damon’s hands already on her shoulders as she asks him, “I feel that is as important as the other questions.  There is just a feeling of an apocalypse hanging over everything.  And your right, none of the issues facing us are that important.  I think we need to get your brother here in some sort of manner that we can control.  We also need to find out if Nature is wanting his curse lifted.  If it didn’t why would it keep having the doppelgangers?  And what is the importance of each time they have appeared since they are so rare.  Something is triggering all of this.”

Damon smirks as he looks up from her. “And welcome to the new age of Bella.  One with the questions that we needed to be asked all this time.”

Elijah sighs as he says, “And let us hope that is all she is needed for.”  His eyes meets them both as he states, “Because I really would hate to find out what you two are really capable of, since that will mean we will need it.”

* * *

**Final count, 3,526 words.**

**Fairfarren~Wendy**


	17. I've Dreamt Alone

 

 

#  I’ve Dreamt Alone

**[ ](http://kittyinaz.files.wordpress.com/2014/01/virginia_water_falls.jpg) **

**Disclosure:  Twilight and Vampire Diaries are owned by their respective braianics that thought of it.**

**Pre Edit Count -   2,383 Words**

_Song I listened to for this chapter: I See You_ by MIKA.

 

 

* * *

_Previous:_

_Biting her lower lip, Bella thinks then tries a few searches.  She looks up at Damon, his hands already on her shoulders, as she asks him, “I feel that is as important as the other questions.  There is just a feeling of an apocalypse hanging over everything.  And you’re right, none of the issues facing us are that important.  I think we need to get your brother here in some sort of manner that we can control.  We also need to find out if Nature is wanting his curse lifted.  If it didn’t, then why would it keep having the doppelgangers?  And what is the importance of each time they have appeared since they are so rare?  Something is triggering all of this.”_

_Damon smirks as he looks up from her. “And welcome to the new age of Bella – the one with the questions that we needed to have been asking all this time.”_

_Elijah sighs as he says, “And let us hope that is all she is needed for.”  He looks at them both as he adds, “Because I really would hate to find out what you two are actually capable of since that would mean we would need it.”_

_Now:_

 

 

* * *

The sun is going down slowly, on a new day that has brought joy to some, and change for so many that have no idea how their lives are to be impacted by the events it is watching over.

The sun slowly sets on a new day that has brought joy to some and change for so many others who have no idea how their lives will be impacted by the events that sun is observing.  But as this sun has seen and will continue to see many more critical times in its long life, it does its job and bestows light upon the world below it.

On the plantation, after an annoying couple of hours spent researching the questions Bella had asked, there is a knock on their door.  Damon is sitting in the chair with Bella on his lap actively working on the desktop as she is now, for the first time, getting to research openly for the Cold Ones in hopes that maybe some of the information she has will help trigger more information, or even a notice if the Cold Ones have been looking for her.

 

 

[ ](http://kittyinaz.files.wordpress.com/2014/01/elijah-5.jpg)

Elijah chuckles when Bella asks him to open the door, not seeing the hesitation she had shown in previous times.  She completely accepts him as her family now.  He shakes his head about how much they seem to understand the family link now that she is one of them, and now that she is Mated, no male will ever mean anything to her besides the two of them.  And Elijah is fine with it.

He walks to the door and opens it to reveal a figure in a black cloak.  He manages not to snarl as he questions, “And what are you here for?”  He almost laughs as he thought about how old-fashioned the cloak was…

The figure is hidden by the cloak, but the voice is deep as he tells him, “I am here for Bella.”

At his words, Bella and Damon rush to Elijah’s side.  Damon steps in front of Bella and holds her close behind himself.  Elijah steps past them, making it so that the creature would have to get through both them before he can get close to her.

The hooded figure laughs.  “Do you really think you can stop me if I want her?” He is cocky, sure of himself, and his voice shows it.

Elijah looks at the man, but his eyes flicker as he notices that the clouds above them are growing darker.  He draws up and raises an eyebrow much like his daughter does.  “Yes.”

The creature laughs, then steps forward. Before he can do anything else, Elijah is holding him in the air by his throat with the sound of marble cracking under his one hand. He looks at the being in front of him as he tells him, “Yes, I in fact _do_ think I can stop you.  What do you want with my daughter?”

 

 

[ ](http://kittyinaz.files.wordpress.com/2014/01/damon-138.jpg)

The figure struggles, and Damon smirks.  He cannot help it.  He is fully prepared to let go on the stranger, and it is gratifying to find that they are stronger than the Cold Ones.  But the growl he has been giving off has been incessant, and will be while his Mate, his precious, beloved Mate, is in danger.

Bella stares at the creature, and then asks her Father, “Can you remove his hood?  I’d like to see who they sent.” She is curious about who this being is.

The creature jerks as if he were trying to stop the request, then Elijah suddenly has the hood lowered.

Damon frowns as he mentions, “I thought you said they had red or gold eyes.” He is staring at the man before them, blue eyes startling in a face Damon had not expected to have any eye color but red.

 

 

[ ](http://kittyinaz.files.wordpress.com/2014/01/charlie-bewley-aka-demetri-2.jpg)

Demetri snarls at them. “Normally the Cold Ones do and I wear fucking contacts because of that reason.” He is still struggling as he tries to get out of Elijah’s choke-hold.  Puzzled, he looks up as he hears thunder above him in a sky that was clear only minutes ago.

Elijah stares at the creature in his hand.  He bluntly asks him, “What do you want with my daughter?” This is the important information to him.

Demetri turns his head to meet Bella’s brown eyes. “To help her.  She is one of a few, and I felt the change.”  He smiles at her, trying to reassure what should be a nervous newborn, confused and wild.  He wonders if they had a spell on her…

Damon growls, as does Elijah. “What few?” His Mate is one of a kind, no question about that, but to imply they know more about her than any of them want the Volturi to know is an uneasy feeling.

Looking at the men in front of him, he tells them, “Hybrids. She has venom in her from the bite, and it will slowly change her to be like me…”

There is nothing but shock in front of him.

 

 

* * *

They move back to the Library, with Elijah standing behind Demetri and ready to do whatever it takes to kill him if he says or does anything that he or Damon doesn’t like.  Not one of them is happy about the information he just gave them, but both vampires are watching Bella as she wrestles with the information.

Bella sits in her chair rubbing her temples as Damon stands behind her with his hands on her shoulders.  It has been quiet, even Jonas is making no noise as they all wait for Bella to get her mind around what Demetri said. Damon’s chest is rumbling with a purr as he tries to soothe his Mate.

Finally she lifts her head and asks Demetri, “How… What… Fuck…”  She closes her eyes and starts over again.  “Why don’t you start at the beginning?  Since I know you are their tracker, I have tried to keep a watch out for you. And who else knows about me?”

Demetri leans forward, ignoring the change of the purr to an increased growl from Damon.  He openly eyes the petite beauty in front of him, and grins.  “No one else knows where you are, matia mou ( _m_ _y dear)_.  I know of you because my ability to track is really just a side effect of my real ability.  I know where every single hybrid in the world is.  And there really aren’t many of us.  And no, I’m not talking about the human-vampire half breed monstrosities.  Nor what your Klaus is wanting to do with Werewolves and himself.  I am talking about those who had vampire blood in them and were turned by a Cold One, or in your case, you have venom in you and were turned by a vampire.  Actually, you are the first one of that case.  Venom normally kills.” He sounds puzzled as he has been trying to figure out how the hell she is the first one and how she became what she is.

Watching the hybrid in front of him, Damon asks, “And how did you come about?  What is so special about you?” His hands tighten as he feels Bella’s emotions, and he rubs her shoulders trying to soothe her.

His eyes still on Bella, Demetri answers the question, “Because we are extremely rare.  There are only a few, and I’m the one who found each of them.  We normally function as Cold Ones.  When we are first turned, we have the red eyes and everything.  Nothing seems unusual from the rest of them.  But then, after the first year, instead of losing our strength, we continue to gain.  After a hundred years, our regular eye color takes over, and some of us find more talents and so on.   I will say the oddest thing is when our fangs develop.  It hurts like a motherfucker.  But we are harder to kill than normal.” He smirks when he says it, thinking he had one advantage over the beings in front of them.  Except Bella.

Then he straightens up and tells Bella, “Matia mou, you know one of us quite well.  In fact, he has been searching for you for the last year now that he has kicked off the coat hangers to him.  When I called him with your location, he started on his way here.  He will be your teacher.” He tells her this so that whatever way she’s keeping calm can be slightly alleviated.  He still doesn’t understand why she is calm or why they’re acting as though she is a fully thinking being instead of a newborn thirsting for blood.  They even had a human in the room with her!

Elijah and Damon both snarl.  Bella lays a hand on Damon’s as she tells Demetri, “I’m not sure what you are thinking, and the venom might make changes, but if they do, then Damon will have the same abilities.  You see, unlike Cold Ones, the Mating of Vampires is a different horse of a totally different color.  Damon is my Mate, my other half, my everything.” She tries to explain.  But truthfully, she wants nothing more than this being to be gone from her home, and be allowed her to finish her research so she can spend time with her Mate.  She really wants to be alone with Damon, but these questions are haunting her.

Demetri’s eyes widen, “Please tell me you didn’t share blood!  Bella, you will kill him!  None of us can change another person because of it, they usually die!  In fact, the one on his way here has been the only one who has been able to do it, and then only twice over hundreds of forced tries.”

Laughing behind him, Elijah tells him, “Well then Damon, Bella, that explains why Jonas senses so much more about you two.  Wonder what your changes will be?”  He wonders how much more these two are going to have to change to  make it harder to kill them.  However, he also wonders how this will help them secure the species if they can’t change another being now.

Wrapping an arm around his Mate as she stands, Damon smirks. “Anything would make us more awesome.  Wifey here, well, I have no idea of how she could get any better; she’s perfection already.”  He bestows a kiss on her head.  He is grinning since he slipped in the term, knowing from their earlier conversations that she didn’t like the idea of a piece of paper deciding she is married.  He agreed, but his Mate is his wife to him.  Names are just that – names, not the reality.

Running his hands through his hair, Demetri shakes his head. “Don’t you understand, you will _die_?  Why are you not taking this more seriously?” He didn’t like the cocky asshole, but no one deserves to die in the manner he has seen in the past.

Jonas speaks up for the first time, “Because you were taught the Cold Ones’ way.  What you don’t know of these two is that they are Mates.”

Not able to understand why they are not taking this more seriously, Demetri starts pacing.

Elijah watches him, and finally asks, “What do you know of our type?” He doesn’t cares to relieve the nervous hybrid, but even he is getting tired of the dramatics.

Demetri only glances at him as he paces.  He rattles off, “You need human blood to complete the turning, your blood can heal, you gain strength instead of losing it, and you have powers that we can only imagine.”  His mind is going through what could happen if this man is really Bella’s Mate, and what if he dies.  He seriously believes the man is mistaken, but the concern she shows may upset this fragile whatever that is keeping her calm.

Elijah snorts.  “And is that it?”

Demetri stops and gives him a nasty glare.  “Yeah, that is it.  What else is there?” This British git needs to leave him alone so he can figure out what to do with the newborn that they are obviously ill equipped to handle.

Bella relaxes some and Damon smirks.  “What you don’t know can kill you.  We know more about Cold Ones than you do.” He rests his head on his Mate’s, using her to keep him calm.  He really didn’t like the asshole in front of him.

Demetri waves his hand at Bella. “Because of her.” He is not an idiot, and through others he has heard about her.  She is just lucky she has been deemed to be under the protection of another that was as powerful as he is.

Damon lifts her hand up and kisses it and, giving her a look, he waits until she nods.  He is then in front of Demetri, making him jump from the closeness.

Elijah can’t help the bark of laughter from the reaction, and he watches the two as he moves to ensure that Bella is safe.

Looking up and down at the creature in front of him, Damon loftily tells him, “What you need to realize is that we are magic.  We were born from a spell from a cousin of my line that his mother cast to save her children from wolves.”

Waiving his hand at Elijah “In fact, if we had to acknowledge a leader, it is him.  And Bella is his daughter in our world.”  Then he leans close to the man, his face transforming, “Here is the biggest piece of information.  Bella is _mine_.  She is my Mate.  We are basically one.  What happens to her happens to me and so on.  Ask Elijah for more information.”

And with that, Damon’s instincts are going crazy.  He watches Demetri, but his hand is out, and Bella is by his side in a instant, leaning into him.  Then they both are gone.

 

 

* * *

Elijah looks up and chuckles as he hears the door slam.  “This will be interesting for a time.” He sighs, knowing that these interruptions are coming, and why he is willing to suffer to be able to give himself and Elena time to themselves before they mate.

Demetri looks at him, and declares, “You’re all mad!  She needs to be trained, and cannot give him anymore of her blood.  The venom in her will kill him.”

Chuckling Elijah waves him to the seat across from him.  “You need an education, young man.” And he is going to provide it, if only to keep his attention from what is going on upstairs.

When Demetri glares at him, Elijah advises him, “I’m over a thousand years old.  Older, actually.  But that is neither here nor there.  What you need is a course in our kind, one that most of us don’t know.  The man upstairs is one of the most powerful of our kind.  He is equal or even better than me, and I am the first one of our type.  Bella is my daughter. She is descended directly from my line, and is the last remaining one.  That, along with the fact they are Mates, make them _the_ couple.  Sharing blood is the only way for Mates to survive.  She can drink from none but him, and he barely can stand the taste of the blood he drinks for her.  He gets nutrition from it, but it’s like drinking battery acid.  He does it because he is driven to provide for her.  He actually receives from her what he doesn’t get from the blood.  He HAS to drink her blood, or they will die.  That is Mates work in our world.  There is one other Mated couple, and I am a half of another possible pair.” He is frank with the man, giving him some credit since he is worried about the fact that Damon could die from this.

Demetri cannot help but sag in his chair. “Then they both will die.”

Shaking his head, Elijah tells him, “No.  The magic that has mated them, will not allow them to die.  Damon will change along with her.  By this time, neither of them know it, but they are the same.  They drank so much of each other’s blood last night when they Mated that their blood is the same.  It is the magic driving them, and it is driving Damon right now.  You are lucky he is holding back, to him you are challenging him for his Mate.” He settles in the chair he had been standing in front of, and crosses his legs as he watches the hybrid before him.

Demetri looks up and asks, “Is that even possible?”  He is curious about what is going to happen when the man he has been waiting for shows up.  He is close.

“No.”

Demetri looks at him.

Growling at the man before him, Elijah tells him, “I am her father.  Because of that same Mating, Damon is my son as well.  I will not accept you, and I will kill you for not only killing him, but for killing my daughter, my line.  I am not forgiving.  In fact, Damon and I plan a trip to your leaders.  It is time for the Cold Ones to be ruled correctly.  This whole ‘kill whomever knows the secret’ rule is going to end.” He understands why the rule was implemented, but the lengths they go to with it are insane.

Demetri just smirks then, feeling the other one getting closer.  “Oh, I am not the one who will fight for her.  Nope.  Not getting into that mess at all.  The one who is coming, he is the one who you will need to worry about.  We have no idea what he really is, besides a mixture of both of our types, but I will tell you, he has been fighting for her, killing many of our kind to protect her.  And no one can stand up to him.  If he wants her, no matter what your magic and legends say, he will have her.” And he deserves her so much more than the asshole who is currently with her.

Elijah looks up at the ceiling at the sounds coming from the bedroom.  He then looks at the hybrid in front of him. “I don’t think I need to worry.  Just wait.”

Demetri smirks back as he settles and waits for the show to begin.  No one has met the man coming as he is now:  in full control of himself and coming for Bella.  Maybe this death will be easier than the one coming for Damon.  God knows it will be painful.

 

 

* * *

**Final count, 3,357 words.**

**Fairfarren~Wendy  
**


	18. I’m Sorry I Hurt You

 

# I’m Sorry I Hurt You

**[ ](http://kittyinaz.files.wordpress.com/2014/01/1601590_605258446196545_183701065_n.jpg) **

**Disclosure:  Twilight and Vampire Diaries are owned by their respective braianics that thought of it.**

**Pre Edit Count -   2,674 Words**

_Song I listened to for this chapter: The Reason_ by Hoobastank.

* * *

_Previous:_

_Demetri just smirks then, feeling the other one close.  “Oh, I am not the one who will fight for her.  Nope.  Not getting into that mess at all.  The one who is coming, he is the one who you will need to worry about.  We have no idea what he really is, besides a mixture of both of our types, but I will tell you, he has been fighting for her, killing many of our kind to protect her.  And no one can stand up to him.  If he wants her, no matter what your magic and legends say, he will have her.” And he deserves her so much than the asshole who is currently with her does._

_Elijah looks up at the ceiling at the sounds coming from the bedroom.  He then looks at the hybrid in front of him. “I don’t think I need to worry.  Just wait.”_

_Demetri smirks back as he settles and waits for the show to begin.  No one has met the man coming as he is now.  In full control of himself and coming for Bella.  Maybe this death will be easier than the one coming for Damon.  God knows it will be painful._

_Now:_

* * *

[ ](http://kittyinaz.files.wordpress.com/2014/01/mystic-falls.jpg)

A tall blond stands on a hill looking out on the valley before him.  He notes the picturesque buildings and such as he takes in a deep breath, excited to be close to the woman he has been chasing and protecting all these years. The wind blows his hair around his face, teasing the Henley shirt he is wearing with his jeans and beloved boots.

Mystic Falls, Virginia. He had not been in this state in at least a hundred years.  The last time was when he was being promoted to Major and had listened to another officer arguing with his superiors over the stupidity of his orders and how they would kill all in his command.  It wasn’t like anyone in the building could not hear the man as he argued eloquently on the reasoning of why the orders would kill his men.  But nothing would sway his superior, who wanted a glory attack and saw this as his chance. He had then listened as the man quit after stating he wouldn’t sacrifice his men like that, not when they trusted him to keep them alive.

Funny that came to mind, but he remembered that one of the men had commented that the man had left to go home to Mystic Falls.  He had wanted to meet the man who had impressed him with the fact he wanted to keep his command alive, even to the point of dishonoring himself to save them.  But he only saw the back of him as he had exited the room and strode off.

Staring out at the valley that held the town, he feels for his bond that had grown stronger last night.  He has been searching for her for years, killing anyone who had been too close, even if it meant that he had to let her go again.  The tall blond had known that he would find her.  And he will find out what this bond means, since he is not sure why he would be feeling her more now than before.  But he was told to protect her, and he has done that for so many years…

[ ](http://kittyinaz.files.wordpress.com/2012/11/bellas-home.jpg)

His blond hair is still flowing in the wind as he cocks his head to the side as he concentrates on the bond, and soon he is moving faster than a human can track through the valley until he stops and looks at a large plantation house.  He smiles as he appreciates the look of the house in front of him. It reminds him of home, and he wonders who it belongs to.

Then his eyes go black as he smells others, other males…  He recognizes Demetri, but the snarl he lets loose from the closeness of the other hybrid is of pure rage.  He is not supposed to be here – he had made it clear that the hybrid was never to come close to _her_.  Then there are the others…

He is gone from his spot in seconds, through the door and in front of the person who he has tried to protect for years, for whom he would go through hell itself to protect.  He is not happy as he sees the male who he had thrown from her, who had been _drinking_ from her! He is crouched before her, ignoring the fact that she had been drinking from the male at the same time.

Then he heard the voice he had not heard in years, that he had been searching for, defending, and killing others, scream out, “Damon!” And he is shoved away from her before he could turn to see her, to soothe her.

* * *

Bella snarls at the blond in front of her, but before she could do anything, he stumbles away from her and Damon has the man up against the wall, snarling at him.  The blond’s green eyes widen as they take in the face of the vampire holding him up and he struggles as he feels his throat begin to crush.

[ ](http://kittyinaz.files.wordpress.com/2014/01/damon-41.jpg)

Damon is not even thinking – a male had interrupted when he and his mate were drinking from each other as they orgasm, and had thrown him off of her.  The result of this is Damon moving faster than he was used to, and had the man up on the wall faster than he  could have ever imagined.  The back of his mind, the side that was the rational male, estimated that he had been faster than any other vampire he has seen, including Elijah.

The Alpha male defending his mate snarls at the man when he struggles. His voice rough with the growls being emitted, he advises the male, “I’d stop if I were you.  I am fighting with myself about ending you for interrupting my mate and me.”  Outside it had grown stormy, with a lightning strike near the house.

The male looks into the eyes of the male vampire before him, and is shocked to see the storm outside reflected in his captor’s own eyes.  Lightning and all.

[ ](http://kittyinaz.files.wordpress.com/2014/01/leighton-meester-photo-018.jpg)

Barely containing herself from the anger pouring out of her for the interruption, Bella zips out of the room and grabs some jeans and a shirt for her mate, then hurriedly dresses herself in the same type of clothing.  She comes out and comes up behind Damon, who was standing there, naked, and not the least bit ashamed  about it.  His focus is on his mate, and on the male who had interrupted them.  Something inside of him tells him not to kill the male, but he is more than willing to tear the man apart for intruding on them.

Damon’s face was still in vampire mode, and when Bella came close to him, he pulled her close behind him with his free hand.   His voice is more growl than human as he glares at the man in front of him, “Elijah!” His hands on his Mate’s body let him know more, but he wishes nothing more than to check her over with his eyes and hands.  Until then, he holds her close so no one can do anything to her without him knowing.

The vampire and then hybrid in the library had run up when the other hybrid had burst his way into the house, but Elijah had held off Demetri until he heard Damon’s voice.  He heads into the room, dragging the younger hybrid by his neck, and stops as he steps in the room.

He can smell the sex and blood that he expected, and his first worry is for his daughter.  Seeing her being held to Damon’s back, he nods to himself.  Looking at the hybrid in his grip, he casually breaks Demetri’s neck and releases him, watching to make sure the move worked.  When it does, he casually tells Bella, “Watch him.”  He then heads over to the idiot who had attacked his son at the worst  possible moment.

He chuckles as he grabs the blond from Damon’s grip. “I think your mate would be happier if you were dressed, Damon.” He looks over the new intruder as he tries to get a sense of him as he holds him so his daughter will be more comfortable.

The snarl and the lightning strike nearby make him laugh as Damon grabs Bella and they are gone.  He looks at the hybrid in front of him and frowns.  “Who are you?” His look is dismissive, but he is curious who would dare to interrupt a mating like he did.  And who _is_ he?  He had seen the look on Bella’s face, which tells him he might be one of the ones who tossed his daughter away.  If so, there will be hell to pay.

The blond just struggles in his hold and refuses to answer him. “Why are you here with Bella?  Are you holding her prisoner?” He couldn’t understand what was going on, but the fact that she has not been left alone is not lost on him.  This house couldn’t be hers, it was not to the taste of the girl she had been in Forks.

The surprised look on Elijah’s face is not one you see often. “Bella?  Prisoner? Why would you think that?  And why would you even think to interrupt a mating?” Who is this man to think this?  His daughter a prisoner??

The male moves, and it somehow allows him to slip from Elijah’s hold, then he crouches in front of him. He hits him with his gift as he wants to be able to take him down so he can rescue Bella.

When nothing happens, he exclaims, “Why the hell are you not affected?”

Then the voice the blond had come for answers. “The same reason it didn’t work on Damon.  He’s my father, and who else would I protect other than my Father and my Mate?  Why are you here, and where is the rest of the fucking coven, Jasper?” She is growling, and Damon is right behind her watching this stranger, but trusting his mate can handle the idiot.

[ ](http://kittyinaz.files.wordpress.com/2014/01/vlcsnap-2013-05-22-19h10m33s65.jpg)

Jasper moves and is in front of Bella in seconds.  He reaches out to touch her, but Damon’s hand came from behind Bella and holds him as he tells him, “Nu-ah.  No one touches my mate without our permission.  And especially not one that tossed her away as your coven did.” His eyes do not contain the lightning anymore, but are still stormy looking.

Jasper snarls, “Not my Coven.  They had me in chains until a month after they left you.  I have been searching for you, my darlin’.  And you have not made it easy at all.  I was lucky the pull was there to help me.” Seething inside that this male had overpowered him so quickly, Jasper is trying to figure out what he can do to free Bella from these men.

Damon cocks his head to the side as he repeats, “Pull?  What pull?” And he cannot help but step even closer to his mate, gratified when he met her stepping back into him.  One of his arms wrapped around her, the other free in case he has to react to the vampire in front of them.  He is getting tired of these interruptions, and to have someone else claiming his mate?

Jasper looks him in the eye, “The fuckin pull to my mate.  The one you were fuckin and drinking from, asshole.”

* * *

Soon they move downstairs to the library where Elijah drops Demetri in a chair, and makes sure that the chains he has around the hybrid will hold him securely.  Damon drops Jasper into another chair then stands beside the chair he escorts Bella to.  The storm is still in full force outside, and Damon has no intention of letting it lessen until he knows what exactly is going on.

As he told Bella before, he will fight for her, and he has no intention of letting her go. She is **_his_** , the bond between them a live connection, especially with as pissed off as they both are right now.  As it is, they have more to tell Elijah, since they had both been shocked when it had happened just a few minutes before they were interrupted.

His hand is on her shoulder, and her hand is on it as they both use that touch to convince each other that the other is fine.  It is something they need with all these people popping out of nowhere and intruding on this time that is supposed to be for them; a time they both feel as though they need to be constantly with the other.  And having Jasper’s declaration on top of that, well it is making Damon be more possessive of his mate, and his mate is seeking his reassurance.

Jasper is glaring at the tall black haired man that looked familiar. He doesn’t miss the reactions from them.  He may be empathic, but he learned how to read people in addition to his gift.  And though he cannot sense their emotions, everything he is reading from the two says they are together, and that he will have a fight not only from the male, but his own mate will be fighting against him as well.

Sighing, Elijah makes his way to the alcohol bar and notices that there is not a huge selection.  He makes the mental note to have some sent over.  Not that Damon wouldn’t fix it soon, but he gathers that they just have not had enough time.  He did notice the whiskey, that is unusual, then smirks as he realizes he found his daughters drink.  Grabbing the tumblers from the side, he pours one of scotch and hands it to Damon.  He raised his eyebrow at Bella, but when she shook her head no while still glaring at Jasper, he pours himself one.

Taking a swallow, he says, “So we have a slight issue.  I _know_  that Damon is my daughter’s mate.  He transitioned her, which only her mate could have done in the manner that they did.  And they confirmed the mating bond, which I felt.” And he can really feel the mating bond in them and the way it vibrates and how Damon suddenly is his as much as Bella is.  It would be hard to explain to others, but it is the same feeling he had when he met Bella.  There is no question in his mind that the two are mated.

[ ](http://kittyinaz.files.wordpress.com/2014/01/elijah-8.jpg)

He walks to the other side of Bella, and muses, “But I can feel you.  I am not sure how, it is faint, and if you were human, it would not be there.  However, the question is, why?  And why would you think it is a mating pull?” He looks at the man, watching him as the other two in the room are doing as well.

Jasper stares at Bella, incensed at the male touching her, and asks her, “Don’t you feel it, Bella?” He needs her to pay attention to him, he needs to figure out what is going on, and it has not escaped his notice that she is a newborn, but not acting like one.  But to be truthful, she has always been a little odd, so this doesn’t surprise him too much.

Damon growls louder.  The male is challenging them, and Damon is barely holding on to his human side.  It is not like when he turns off his emotions; no, in this he and his beast side are one, and the beast is not liking that this male is trying to take his mate’s attention.  Even though Damon knows it will not work, that someone disrespects him and his mate in trying is what angers him.

Bella on the other hand lifts an eyebrow, “While I feel something, it is definitely not a mating pull.  It is nothing like what I felt for Damon before he changed me, nor is it even close to what we have now.  I’m sorry, Jasper, but it’s not a mating pull.  If anything, it is like…” She then trails off as she realizes what the pull is reminding her of.

Damon looks down at her quickly and then back to Jasper.  He then looks at the board, narrowing his eyes and then starts swearing. This is not something he had thought of, and while it is good that they can tell this upstart that he is not feeling a mating pull, Damon is getting a little tired of the family lines.

Elijah looks at him with a raised eyebrow, and if it had been another time, Damon would have teased Bella on where she got the look from.  But right now he is too busy cussing his Mate’s mother. This is getting old.

Staring at the male in front of him as he is cussing, Jasper looks back to Bella as she is staring at him, her mouth open. “What is his issue, darlin’?” He is concerned, he has no idea what is bothering the male, but his mate looks too upset for him to ignore it.

Instead of Bella, Damon answers him, “You’ve got to be kidding me.  Bella, when you said you had no family, I was happy about Elijah.  But you seem to be having them come out of the woodwork.  Mia carissima, I love you dearly, but we need to track down your mother’s lines.”  Especially if they are going to come and claim mating status with her – _**HIS**_ mate!

Putting it together, Elijah starts laughing.  “That explains the feeling I have.  It is through Bella.” He relaxes some, not needing to worry about the interloper.   He may be family to his daughter, but Elijah only claims those who are worthy of it, and nothing has impressed him with Jasper.

Shaking his head, Jasper just raises an eyebrow and asks, “Anyone want to share with the class?” He is mystified, but has noticed the tension drop in the room.

Damon is shaking his head in disbelief at that, but he turns his back on the male, crouching down in front of his mate.  “Mia carissima, do you want to tell him?” He moves a piece of hair from her face to behind her ear tenderly.  His focus is on the beautiful woman in front of him, knowing that he will know if the male moves, and that Elijah has them covered.

Bella just shakes her head.  She leans forward, and Damon quickly gathers her into his arms as she almost burrows into him. He moves and has them seated in the chair, holding her as he purrs to her, as she shudders.  He finally looks up to Elijah, “You need to tell him.  She is overwhelmed.”

Elijah’s face shows his concern, and Damon tells him, “I got her, you take care of him.” He then turns his attention back to his mate, calming her.  The shock is great, and he can only imagine everything going through her mind right now.

Leaning forward, Jasper tries to relax her, but then a sudden crash of lightning and Damon’s own snarl at him is enough to have him raising an eyebrow as the emotion bounces back to him. Damon’s snarl of “Don’t do that unless she asks for it,” leaves Jasper shocked that Damon had detected him doing it.  He is also shocked that the storm outside is somehow connected to the dark vampire.

Elijah looks over as Demetri moves, waking from the death he had given him, and ensures that the vervain-laced chains are holding him, and then turns to Jasper.  “From what I am gathering, you are a hybrid as is Demetri?” He settles where he can stop anyone from interfering with Damon calming his mate.  He is also watching over the two, concerned that it had finally been too much for his prințesă. ( _Princess_ )

Not able to help the growl that comes from him, Jasper answers, “Unfortunately.”  It is not something he is proud of.  The little sycophant to the Volturi Kings is one that has bugged the shit out of him since he had found him when he was in the wars.  While the idiot idolizes him, Jasper hates him.

Elijah’s lips lift in a small grin.  “Well, if you can’t figure it out, the pull you have been feeling for Bella is not a mating pull.  Taking from Demetri’s information, and what I am observing, is that while you keep some of the Cold One’s attributes, you become more like us as time goes by.  A mating like Damon’s and Bella’s is so rare that there are 3 couples in our entire history that have it.  And since I am the first vampire of our type, I can attest to it.  However, the pull you are feeling towards her is a sibling one.  Let me guess, it formed more fully last night?” He suspects it formed the same time Elijah felt the snap of his own pull, and when Damon became his.  But that the man had felt it early enough to have been thinking it was a mating pull, well Elijah wonders how strong mating pulls are for the Cold Ones.

Jasper nods, still watching Bella with Damon, flinching as he hears the man murmur to her, telling her how much he loves her and will protect her. He has thought of this woman for the last couple of years as his mate, and to hear another male telling her the things he desires to be telling her, well it was a shot to his heart.  He has fallen in love with her ever since he told her in Phoenix she was worth it.  She is still worth everything he has done for her.

Elijah smiles.  “Jasper, I suspect the pull you have is through Bella’s mother.” And it explains his own slight pull.  But it was through Bella he was feeling it, and he is not impressed at the young man taking it as a _mating_ pull.

When he has the man’s attention, he nods to the whiteboard that Damon had been cussing at earlier. “As you may know from tracking her all this time, Bella is a researcher.  She had come to this town after inheriting this house and a lot of history she was not aware of, including the awareness of our type of Vampire.  She also managed to meet Damon right away, and the Bond worked to pull them to each other.  Within days, working together, they managed to figure out a great many things for a lot of us.  And I found my daughter that I have been searching over a thousand years for.  See, Bella is the culmination of my line.  Damon is distantly related to me, and therefore her, by only a couple of hundreds of years for me, but for her much longer.” He watches the other male.  Nothing is information he intends to hide.  His world will know all about his daughter, his mind of the thought that the more that know who she is related to, the less likely they will be to try to hurt her.  And the foolish ones, well he and Damon will take care of those.

Shaking his head, Jasper tries to understand. “How is Bella your daughter? She is the daughter of Charlie Swan.” Not that he didn’t understand anyone wanting to claim this wonderful woman as his.

“Charlie is my biological father, but Elijah is my father.  It’s the magic.”

Jasper’s attention is immediately on the woman who he has thought of as his mate for the last couple of years.  She looks up from Damon’s arms and explains, “Our type of Vampire is magical. Elijah is the head of my family line, and for some unknown reason, I am his heir.”  She is not happy.  This is not a development that is wanted nor needed right now.  There is too much going on, and she is barely handling all the new senses and so on.  Right now, Damon is the only reason she is still in the room.

Elijah nods.  “That’s it exactly.  Even as her Mate, Damon would be her consort.” He grins as he looks over at Damon, and Damon just rolls his eyes.  He cares not about what others think of him.

[ ](http://kittyinaz.files.wordpress.com/2014/01/tumblr_lka84rc5hx1qdowa9o1_500_large.gif)

Damon couldn’t help it. He wanted to see her smile, and react like she normally does.   “My little heiress.”

She teases him right back, “My Southern Landed Italian Gentleman.” And she grins up at him, both of them lost in the feeling in their bond, each reveling in the other and the simple joy of making each other happy.

Jasper can’t help but laugh at the mirth he can feel at them.  He shakes his head. “I don’t understand.  Why was the pull so strong?” He is slowly accepting it, but he is stubborn.  It is what allowed him to survive hell on earth, and being told to watch her…well, after the pixie bitch, he had hoped his salvation could be found in the girl he had admired for slipping away from him to save her mother.

Shrugging, Elijah told him, “Because you’ve seen her, smelled her, and knew her.  It was the same with Damon as her mate, and me when I met her.  Our type of Vampire is magical.  Look at Damon and Bella.  They are mated, joined in a way that is incredible.  Our type of mating is different from yours.  She literally cannot survive without him – he has to drink blood for her.  And he cannot survive without her, either, as he needs her blood to provide something he needs.  To kill one is to kill the other.  Luckily, they are not easy to kill.  But that is the proof that they are mates.” Elijah is musing on his own mate, and wondering how she is.  He had checked on her last night, and had been amused to hear Stefan complaining to Damon about not being allowed into her home.  He is hoping it is a step closer towards him.

Damon is still feeling Bella’s emotions and knows how much she needs some time to get everything together in that magnificent brain of hers that he admires so much.  Out of the blue, he asks, “Jasper.  Are you going to try to kill me?” He figures he will be blunt in handling this new relative.

Jerking up at the bald question, he answers him just as bluntly, “Not until I understand what is going on.” He is not taking a chance in case this man is right and killing Damon means Bella dying.  He is not sure what spell or whatever they have done to her, so he will wait and try to find a way to free his little one.

With that Damon stands with Bella in his arms.  “Elijah, can I drink blood bags?” He feels the need to feed his mate, and he is hoping that he can do it with blood bags which would allow them to retreat to their suite.  Though he is going to see if his mate will agree to more intense measures for safety.  He never wants to be interrupted like he was earlier.

Lifting an eyebrow at him, “I suspect so.” He can’t see a reason why Damon couldn’t and he knows why the couple needs to leave.  He can slightly feel the emotions that are beating against his daughter, and he is concerned.

After a sharp nod, Damon begins, “Excellent.  Jonas, out.  Elijah, there is a dungeon down below where you can stick Demetri.”  At that they share a mutual look of distrust regarding the hybrid.  Damon continues his orders, “Jasper and you can take one of the bedrooms down here.  I am grabbing a couple of blood bags and I strongly suggest that none of you bother Bella and me.  I will see you tomorrow.”

With that he is out of the room, and Jonas quickly makes his way out of the house.  To say he had been terrified most of the day is a slight understatement. But he had not been dismissed, and Elijah had wanted him to cast some spells that he never got around to.  As they hear the front door close, Jasper hears something rolling over the windows and doors.  He looks up at Elijah.  “Is it for the storm,” he asks, indicating the storm which has only grown stronger as the time has gone by.

Elijah smirks.  “Damon has nothing to fear from any storm.  He is locking the house down and caring for his mate.  I suggest you do as he wishes.  Or you might have something to worry about from the storm if you interrupt them again.”

With that he turns and grabs Demetri, and leaves a very confused Jasper in the library.

* * *

**Final count:  4,873 words.**

**Fairfarren~Wendy**


	19. Everything That Kills Me Makes Me Feel Alive

# Everything That Kills Me Makes Me Feel Alive

**[ ](http://kittyinaz.files.wordpress.com/2014/01/black-water-falls-sean-cupp.jpg) **

**Disclosure:  Twilight and Vampire Diaries are owned by their respective braianics that thought of it.**

**Pre Edit Count -   2,452 Words**

_Song I listened to for this chapter: Counting Stars_ by OneRepublic.

* * *

_Previous:_

_With that he is out of the room, and Jonas quickly makes his way out of the house.  To say he had been terrified most of the day is a slight understatement. But he had not been dismissed, and Elijah had wanted him to cast some spells that he never got around to.  As they hear the front door close, Jasper hears something rolling over the windows and doors.  He looks up at Elijah.  “Is it for the storm,” he asks, indicating the storm which has only grown stronger as the time has gone by._

_Elijah smirks.  “Damon has nothing to fear from any storm.  He is locking the house down and caring for his mate.  I suggest you do as he wishes.  Or you might have something to worry about from the storm if you interrupt them again.”_

_With that he turns and grabs Demetri, and leaves a very confused Jasper in the library._

_Now:_

* * *

The following morning finds Damon looking down at his mate, watching her face as he moves inside her with her legs wrapped around his waist.  They had made love last night for hours, and this morning he had woken still inside of her.  And naturally, he woke her up by bestowing kisses everywhere he could reach.  He wanted, needed, her again, and knew she would feel the same way.

Now they gaze deeply into each other’s eyes as they move as one, each taking pleasure as the other gives it.  Damon moves one hand to cup her face tenderly, and kisses her, and only smiles as he tastes his blood in her mouth.  They had exchanged so often that there is no way they are not joined by blood.  And he doesn’t care.  Every exchange has had a religious feeling as they take each other in.  Her drinking from him was nothing he will ever share with another in the room, nor would he want someone in the room when he drinks from her.  Often neither one remembers much between the frenzy they’ve recently been experiencing and their instincts demanding more and more of them.

This time as they climax, there is no exchange. Instead they were too busy kissing each other and showing their love another way.  The moment is as soft as the sunlight would be if the shutters were open.  Bella didn’t need to feed and they were doing this for the pleasure of being as close as two beings can be.

Damon rests on her with his arms holding her close to him.  During one of their lovemaking sessions last night she had admitted that she enjoys when he does it since it makes her feel safe and loved.  And since she is as strong as he is, he doesn’t have to worry about hurting her.  Even if it did, he would feel it and know to move, probably before she could even speak.  But right now, they are just resting with each other, glowing with coital bliss with their love almost a physical haze around the two.

Finally Damon raises his head to look her in the eyes, “Hungry?” He could search their Bond and find out, but he knows she still feels odd with the closeness of the Bond they have.  So he asks, since he also loves to hear her talk.

[ ](http://kittyinaz.files.wordpress.com/2014/01/damon-and-bella-2.jpg)

Bella just smiles at him. “For?”  She then does the same thing to him that he often does with her as she memorizes his strong features, knowing she will awaken to them for the rest of eternity.

He grins at her. “Anything.  Name it, and it shall be yours.  My blood?  Done, you can drain me, my love, and I will happily give it to you.  Food?  I will go fix you a feast.  Making love?  I will gladly service you mia _carissima_.  Jewels? Give me time, and I will gift you with enough that you won’t need to wear anything but them.  The very stars in the sky?  I will bring them to you.  Everything and anything you wish for or dream of, I will get or do for you.  Just ask me.” He nuzzles her throat as he finishes, then lightly nips at her earlobe.

Laughing at her mate, Bella informs him softly as she holds him close to her, “I want you to love me.  I don’t need anything but you, Damon.  God, you are a romantic, but I am so happy we found each other.” She pulls his head back at the last word, looking up at her mate with the same love in her eyes for him as he has for her.

He just smiles at her, doing as he does every morning, committing her face and now her body to his memory.  He just tells her with that morning gruffness males have after waking, “You have my love, my body and my soul.  And only for you, mia _carissima_.”  He nuzzles her, and asks again, “What are you hungry for, my love?”

She stretches underneath him and tells him, “I guess we better head downstairs and make breakfast.  We also have to deal with the mess from yesterday.  I am guessing with how you are, there is no chance for a shower today?”  Her voice is not the dead one he had heard yesterday when they had first been up here, and he had encouraged her to relax and deal with everything as she wanted. But the dread of dealing with it all is still there.  She just didn’t know what to make of Jasper and the things he had said.  If he were family, then so be it.  But he will have to work to gain her trust again.  However, his statement of killing for her bothers her.  It’s one thing for Damon or Elijah to do it, but Jasper?

Reacting to her emotions and his own instincts, he growls, “Only if you don’t mind me making love to you again afterwards.  My scent is all over you, and that is what has finally settled me.  There is no way that anyone can replace it or even think you are not taken.” Though he knows that his scent is as much a part of her as her own is with him, his beast is calm, knowing that she smells so much of him that no one can think otherwise.

Shaking her head she scoots back to sit against the headrest, Damon moves up beside her, lying on his side so he can face her.  That he can also trail his hand down her body and map her out with his fingers is just a bonus feature. Damon had issues keeping his hands from her before they were mated, now it is a constant need to touch her and to have her within reach.  It is one of the things he wishes he could ask about.  Right now, Bella is fine with it as she has the same need, but he worries that it will make being apart for any amount of time later pure misery.  His Bella is independent.  He never wants to take that away from her.

She closes her eyes in enjoyment of his touch. “I don’t want him, or anyone who is not you.  I know you could feel my feelings last night.  Did you feel anything from me about him that gives you this thought?” She plans to talk to Elijah about this need to touch.  She revels in it, but how long can they go before they are tired of it?

He answers her as he is being distracted by her body’s reaction to him, “No.  I know in my head and heart that you are mine.  But my vampiric instincts are demanding retribution from the two so-called hybrids.  But what I don’t get is why Jasper thought you were _his_ mate?  I thought you said he was already mated?” The question is there, spoken out loud.  There is much they don’t know and they both seem to hunger for information about what is going on.

Watching him as he looks up at her with adoration clear in his eyes, Bella tries to answer the question. “I don’t know what happened.  I also caught that bit about how they had chained him up for a month after they left.  Why would they do that?  Did they really think he was my mate and that’s why he thinks so?  Or did they plan this?  But Elijah even said he felt the pull from Jasper.” She shakes her head, not understanding what is going on, and why so much seems to be happening around her.  Where was all this stuff from earlier in her life?

He sighs, then sits up and pulls her into his arms. “I don’t know, _carissima_.  But knowing you, we will find out soon.  Let’s go ahead and get dressed, and start solving this mess.”  Then he kisses her on the head, “After I feed you.” He is determined to care for his little mate since she seems to not take care of herself very often.  It is one of the things he adores about her, that he can allow his nurturing side out with her.  She really is his other half.

[ ](http://kittyinaz.files.wordpress.com/2014/01/damon-holding-bella.jpg)

With that she laughs at his determination as he drags her out of bed towards their closet.  She jumps on his back, and he takes her to the room he had told her was built with him in mind.  He will enjoy filling it with more clothing for his adorable mate.

* * *

Making breakfast becomes a much livelier event than they had anticipated.  Elijah had met them as they walked down the stairs with a hug for his daughter and a nod to Damon.  Bella had hooked her arms through both men’s arms as they head to her kitchen.  Soon they are all cooking a large breakfast, working together as they talk about random items, including which alcohol everyone prefers.

This is what Jasper walks into, and he just stops and leans against the wall, watching them all, and feeling them out with his gift. He is wearing a black long sleeve hoody, and his green eyes are moving as he watches all the occupants in the room.  He had time to think last night, and while he is not sure that Bella is not his mate, he can respect the power of the males around her.  The implied connection of the storm and Damon had not escaped him, nor his memories of Damon’s stormy eyes.

There was so much love for Bella in that room that it is staggering to his senses, and all of it is reciprocated by her to them.  He can sense nuances like the fact that Elijah is a father figure to her.  In fact, the love for each other completely eclipses Bella’s feelings for her biological father.  And her emotions had always been stronger than a normal humans, more pure.  So to feel this is confusing, what had happened that caused Bella to love this man more than Charlie?

[ ](http://kittyinaz.files.wordpress.com/2014/01/elijah-4.jpg)

And then here are Damon and Bella.  Their love is deep enough, strong enough even, to set fire to the world.  There is nothing but pure love, devotion, respect and adoration of each other from them.  Their love was something he has never came across, not from any mated couple he had ever felt, and this is disconcerting to him.  Was Elijah right when he said that mating meant much more in their kind than the Cold Ones?  He had never sensed emotions like this from any vampire or Cold One he has ever met.

It confuses him.  He can feel the tie to Bella, but now that he is looking for it, he can feel a lighter version of it to Damon.  Does this mean that they are all mates?  But the reaction from Damon and Bella it is telling him that they don’t feel the pull the same way he does.  When he got the call from Peter to follow the pull and protect her, he could have sworn it meant that the pull was one of mating.  Not even Carlisle and Esme had a pull as strong as the one he felt for Bella.

While Jasper watches, the three others have noticed him, but with the looks and emotions they can see crossing his face, they give him time to think through it all.  If it has been hard for them to accept, they can appreciate how hard it would be for someone thinking for years that a person was their mate only to find out they are family, instead.  Well, the time apart had allowed for new thoughts to sink in for all of them.

When the large breakfast is ready, everyone grabs their plates and drinks, telling Jasper, “Grab yourself a plate, and we’ll talk outside.” Bella brings the drinks for her and Damon, Damon following with the plate he had stacked high with food for the both of them.

Jasper is startled, but he does as they say.  One of the things he loves about being a hybrid is that he can actually eat.  Though he will admit that being able to go outside in the sun without a ring is also a huge plus. Especially since he has seen the man who he is sitting down to eat with kill a bunch of other vampires with a few thrown coins.  He had been passing by, and it was something he never thought he would ever witness.

He follows them outside, and is shocked by the pleasant outdoor area.  He trails them to the chairs, and cautiously sits down. He is wary.  The memory of how easy it was for Elijah to kill those vampires, and the ease of both Damon and Elijah in capturing and holding him, make him cautious to be in their company.

Elijah just chuckles.  “Why so nervous, Jasper?” He had been thinking about this new relation, and while he is not happy with him, he also realized that at some point in time his daughter will forgive the man.  He may as well deal with it now.  He will not deny Bella any family, not after seeing how deeply it had affected her to find another one.  Damon’s reaction and the talk in the kitchen had let him know she felt like she had been abandoned by her living family.  He thinks about how much of a shame it is that Klaus is being the way he is; he suspects his brother would love his niece.

Jasper looks up at them and lifts an eyebrow. “Let’s see, Damon here wants to kill me, you will kill me if I kill him, and the woman I have spent the time since I last saw her killing for, trying to find, and thinking that she is my mate, only for you to tell me that she isn’t. And don’t forget Demitri downstairs in your cell. So what is there to make me not nervous?” He doesn’t mention the coin incident, not wanting whatever the reason Elijah had killed those vampires being one he gets killed for.  He narrows his eyes as he remembers someone like Damon being in the room too…

Damon laughs from where he is sitting with Bella on his lap, feeding her a bite then taking one himself.  “If we did want to kill you Jasper, we wouldn’t have had you in a guest room last night and we wouldn’t invite you to breakfast.” To him, it is as blunt as that.  It had also been one of their conversations.  Bella had admitted that once they figure out what is going on, she wanted to like Jasper.  He had been one of the ones who had treated her fairly, and she was sure that the bite incident was not his fault. But she did want to see how he reacted before allowing him to be family.

Damon and Elijah had looked at each other, and said nothing.  It is evident that they will have to get used to the hybrid.  Family is just too important to her.  And she is too important to them to ignore her wishes.

Elijah watches them as he enjoys breakfast, and finally tells Jasper, “We don’t know how you are connected, but you are family.  While you are not my heir, you _are_ mine.  So relax, and once we are done, we will find out how you fit into all of this.  As it is, we had no idea that Bella is a hybrid, but I really don’t think she will be like you guys.” No, she feels like them.  Though Damon told him that she has always tasted of something more, so he suspects that the venom is in them both, and it just cements his belief that they will be unusual.

Jasper shakes his head. “I am unsure of how Damon is alive.  From what I can smell, they have shared so much blood that their scents are no longer separate.  To do that, they would have had to replace half of the blood in each other with their own.”  And it makes him angry, no matter how much he tries not to think of it. But until he is proven otherwise, he still thinks Bella should be his.  He has just spent too much time thinking she is his mate for a few words to prove him wrong.

Nodding her head, Bella looks up at Damon. “That feels about right.” She is being civil, giving Jasper his chance.

Jasper just stared at her in shock.  “But you just turned yesterday, right?” There is no way they should have that much blood exchanged between the two of them.  If this is true, maybe this is the way Damon is holding her to him?

Damon feeds her another bite of his pumpkin pancakes. “Yep.  But she is a newborn. She needs so much blood, and she gets it from me.  It makes sense when you think about it like that.”  He is still guarding his mate, but he is also seeing what Jasper will do with them not treating him as an enemy.

Thinking over the amount of blood Bella will be needing and how new she is, Elijah nods. “Bella is actually pretty tame for a newly risen Vampire.  I suspect it is their mating. I do know Damon’s thirst will lessen, as will hers.  But right now, the mating is driving them to exchange as much blood as possible.  Soon there will be no difference between them.” He grins at the two of them.  Truthfully, there is no difference in his Bond to them both.  It just tells him that they have exchanged often enough that the call of his blood in her is now between the two of them from the exchanges.

Jasper puts down his fork and leans back, brow furrowed.  “I don’t get it.  Why would they want to drink from each other?  There can’t be any nutrition in that.” He cannot understand the method behind it.  He knows Peter and Char share blood, but they both drink from other sources.

Damon snorts as he feeds her another bite. “Blood tastes like shit now.  Bella’s blood is the only one I crave.  But, I still have to drink from a bag or a human.  Bella cannot drink from anyone other than me.  In the shower we tried just to see if she could drink bagged blood.”  His eyes narrow to a slit as he remembers the pain his mate went through when they tried, even though it had been at her insistence. He had told her never again.  Her pain has almost doubled them both over.  “Needless to say that was a spectacular rejection.  Nope.  I will happily ingest the blood needed to sustain us both, and she will drink only from me. With all the other benefits we got, it is not something major.” Not that it mattered, it is life now for them both.

Jasper shakes his head and leans forward on his elbows. “But what if you are hurt?  How will that work?”

Damon and Bella exchange a look, and Damon lifts an eyebrow at her.  That had been the argument which had persuaded him into allowing her to try even though they had been told it wouldn’t be possible.

Elijah laughs at them, knowing that had been Bella’s reasoning. Maybe there is something to Jasper and Bella being related. “First, I want to see them hurt.  It is hard to hurt mated pairs.  Even now, the only other pair is still alive, through all of the trials they had to suffer.  Sage is half of that pair, and somehow she is still alive though it has been a thousand years since she last drank any blood.”  It had been one of the things he had been curious about, and in fact he had called her last night to confirm it.  She told him how hungry she is, but that she violently rejects any blood she tries to drink.  She moves slower now, but she told him it was like she was in suspended animation body-wise.  Nothing was happening to her which would be the same for Finn.  Elijah had promised again to find her mate, and to allow them to reunite.

Damon raised his eyebrows as he thought back to his time with his mentor.  “I never noticed.  But then I was young, and when she declined to feed with me, I figured she was just being private.” He shrugs as he feeds Bella some more food, watching her lips wrap around the fork.  He chuckles as he feels her amusement at his lust for her.

Just shaking his head at the information they are giving him, Jasper states, “This is unbelievable.  You’re telling me that there is a vampire who has not had blood all that time, and she isn’t desiccated?  How in the hell can that be true?” He had seen what happens to their type if they don’t have blood.  Cold Ones turn to stone, it becoming harder and harder for them to move.  But seeing the mummified bodies of such vampires had made Jasper swear to never do that to another unless they fully deserved it.

When Bella sighs, and he feels how full she is, Damon finishes the last bites of pancakes, then settles back with Bella curling in on him.  He tells Jasper, “Because of the magic of mates.  Finn isn’t dead, just suspended between the waking realm and the other side.  She can’t die, because he isn’t dead.  It is part of the reason Bella decided she wanted to be changed.  Until we fully mated, there was a chance that we could lose her or me. Now, we have a lot going for us.” He wraps an arm around his mate, rubbing her back as he rests his chin on her head, just feeling comforted by how close she is.

Jasper shakes his head. “Bella, you gave up your humanity for this?” His voice is hard as if he is accusing her of giving up something she had no right to give.

Picking up on the tone, Bella raises her head and she stares at Jasper.  “I gave up nothing.  I didn’t want children, and I couldn’t grow old with Damon.  I was not going to leave this world and leave him suffering.  How cruel are you, Jasper?” The last is said in a whisper as the thoughts pain her, and she can feel Damon’s purr erupt, while somehow there is a growl at Jasper for questioning his mate in this manner.

He growls at her for questioning him.  “I have killed for you, Bella.  I have done things that would make you shudder in your sleep, all for the chance to let you lead the life you wish.  I did it all for you.  What makes you think I don’t have a choice in your life?” He looks at her incensed that she didn’t give a thought to what he has endured and done for her.

Bella leaps from her seat and is in Jasper’s face before he could register the move. “I have never asked you to kill for me.  I do appreciate it, but I have realized that my own stupidity is the reason I may have died at an early age, and my family would have had no idea what happened to me.  But that does not give you the right to control me.  Damon is as old as you are, both in physical age and in vampire years.  He does not treat me that way, and neither will you!” The last is shouted at Jasper, her own growl erupting from her chest as she stands up to this hybrid who thinks he has the right to order her around.  Not even Elijah has tried to do that and he has more right than Jasper!!

Damon and Elijah watch the two, and the slight growl coming from Damon is the only sign that all is not as calm as it seems on the surface.  Both of them are more than ready to put down the hybrid, but they respect Bella enough to allow her the chance to put the hybrid in his place.

Bella is growling so hard she is vibrating as she stares down Jasper.  Jasper is also growling, as he sneers at her, “I thought you were my mate.  I get a call to follow the pull, and to defend the object.  I was more than ready to do whatever it took to make you happy as my mate!” This female better back down, he will not accept this behavior!

She lifts an eyebrow as she folds her arms and stares him down.  “And because I am not your mate, you have the right to tell me what to do?  You have NO right.  I can and will kill you if need be, Jasper.  Now get your ass in gear and wise up.  The world is not what you thought it was.  You can get your act together and learn about the world you belong to, or you can just take your ass out of here.”  While this has been going on, clouds are starting to gather overhead and there is a slight rumble of thunder.

[ ](http://kittyinaz.files.wordpress.com/2014/01/storm-clouds.jpg)

Elijah notices and mentions, “Weird weather lately.” It doesn’t bother him what Damon does with the hybrid; he is just surprised that Damon would resort to his Elemental powers for Jasper.  There is no reason to, unless he is wanting to test their idea…

Damon looks up, and he checks himself. “Yes.  So odd for this time of year.  Wish I could do something about it.” He then returns his gaze to his mate and her confrontation.  He trusts her, and will watch her as she asserts herself.  But he can guarantee his beast will not allow the other male to lay hands on her, hence the need to keep watch.

Elijah raises one eyebrow as he looks at Damon, and then looks at his daughter.  She is an Elemental too?  This information is surprising to him, and he wonders if she is the Elemental, or if it is part of the sharing of powers Sage had mentioned.  Then he shrugs.  It really doesn’t matter in the long run.

Bella has picked up on the byplay, and she doesn’t bat an eyelash.  She is still staring down Jasper, waiting for his answer. When he doesn’t react, she prods him. “Well, cowboy?  What is your answer?  You going to get yourself in gear or you going to skedaddle out of here like a yellow belly coward?”

* * *

**Final count:  4,642 words.**

**Fairfarren~Wendy**


	20. Chapter 20 A Fighter, Dancing Through the Flames

# A Fighter, Dancing Through the Flames

 

**[ ](http://kittyinaz.files.wordpress.com/2014/01/glade-creek-grist-mill.jpg) **

 

**Disclosure:  Twilight and Vampire Diaries are owned by their respective braianics that thought of it.**

**Pre Edit Count -   2,178 Words**

_Song I listened to for this chapter: Roar_ by Katy Perry.

 

* * *

_Previous:_

_Elijah raises one eyebrow as he looks at Damon, and then looks at his daughter.  She is an Elemental too?  This information is surprising to him, and he wonders if she is the Elemental, or if it is part of the sharing of powers Sage had mentioned.  Then he shrugs.  It really doesn’t matter in the long run._

_Bella has picked up on the byplay, and she doesn’t bat an eyelash.  She is still staring down Jasper, waiting for his answer. When he doesn’t react, she prods him. “Well, cowboy?  What is your answer?  You going to get yourself in gear or you going to skedaddle out of here like a yellow belly coward?”_

  _Now:_

 

* * *

Jasper stares into the eyes of the woman who, the last time he had seen her, had been a toy, pet for his so-called brother.  She had allowed him to walk all over her, and in return he had laughed and joked about it to Tanya in Denali.  That is why he had been chained up for a month – he had dared to defend the life of a pet.  There had been no other reason from what he could tell, but that had been enough for him to break and leave that shit.  He had only waited for the chance to do it with no one the wiser, and had drained some drug dealers he had come across.  He was done.

[ ](http://kittyinaz.files.wordpress.com/2014/02/vlcsnap-2013-05-22-19h10m33s65.jpg)

Jasper had felt a pull to Bella from the first time she had walked into the cafeteria.  But at that time his eyes had been blinded by Alice and the rest of the family.  In Phoenix, she had broken through the rose-colored glasses he had still been wearing, letting him see clearly for a short time.  That was why he had told her that she was worth it.  Then for her to escape him, all to prevent the suffering of his so-called family and rescue her witless mother?  That had astonished him.  It had broken those glasses completely.  He had started to wake up and notice things.  This human was not normal.

But nothing he had thought back then would have prepared for the tiger before him now.  She had been a kitten then, but now she had the strength to back up that will of hers.  And she had toughened up.  While he had killed for her, he could see that living knowingly with the threat of being found and killed at any time, had toughened up her. She had lived through it all, and the fire that that was the supernatural world only burned out the useless stuff, leaving a woman any male would desire.

She is beautiful, and he is proud of her. She has gone through so much, and now she is here, standing before him, showing that strength. So why is he so ready to try to subdue her?

His eyes have never left her, but he also watches the ones he thinks are the real threats.  Neither of them are doing a thing to defend her, instead allowing her to stand up to him, a century old vampire who has gained strength as he grew older.  This confuses him, so he is stalling to try to find out why they would allow her to possibly be hurt.  Especially Damon, who he can still feel being very protective of her.  If she was his, he would not allow her to be standing up to a vampire like she is with the possibility of being hurt.

Bella stands her ground, staring down the vampire in front of her, and her anger is growing.  She refuses to be treated as she once was, and that is how she sees Jasper trying to handle her.  She wouldn’t back down to her own Mate or Father, why would she do it for him?

The clouds swirl above her and became angrier.  Damon’s growl actually ceases as he begins to grin.  His Bella is going to be a handful.  It had taken him much blood and time, and so much pain, to master what she is effortlessly calling up.  But then Sage only realized he was an Elemental when he had become angry with her and the wind had pushed her away from him. Anger seemed to be a trigger for Elementals if he and his Bella were any indication.

Now he manipulated the elements with great skill.  Even the storms of the past day were controlled, but then what could be expected when one discovers that their other half was almost dead so many times, and otherwise kept as a…pet?

No, he is all for letting Bella handle this.  Let Jasper realize that she isn’t the same person he had known in the past.  He needs a lesson in learning how to treat a woman the right way.  He and Demetri need to learn there is more to life that what they had thought, and his little tiger will be perfect to teach this lesson.

Jasper stands up and glares down at her.  He doesn’t understand what is going on, but Bella needs to learn to listen to others that may know better.  This attitude of hers is amazing, and he is proud of her, but she is taking it too far. Standing up to him?  Why?  What is that going to prove?  If her own mate is not going to correct her, he will.  He didn’t kill all those Cold Ones to allow her to die by thinking she is more than she really is.

But when he bares his teeth and starts to try to dominate her, a lightning strike rips up from the ground near them, close enough that he could feel the electricity in the very air around him.  It is enough to fuel his anger, and he snarls at her, ready to spring. Any thoughts of Jasper are fast disappearing; the Major is coming out to make the newborn before him submit.

Then, all of a sudden, she pushes him out of the patio area, and while he catches himself outside, she is standing a couple of steps from him.  When he starts to spring at her, the lightning strikes again, surrounding him in eye searing light.  It actually seems to be caging him, dancing along an invisible bubble around him.

Bella walks up to his cage of lightning and with a disgusted look on her face, tells him, “That is **_enough_**!  I am not a pet, nor am I a little girl, Jasper!  I know what is out there, better than you do.  I do not need you to protect me, I can do that very well as you can see!  And if I need someone else to defend me, my Father and Damon can do the job better than you.  One is an Elemental Master, stronger than any vampire on this planet, and the other is the original vampire?  What can you really bring into this that would make you worth the effort?” The end is said with an eyebrow raised, waiting to see what retort he would make.  Did he not think she knew all the legends, the ones that evidently he had no knowledge about, even being half of those?  She may not have believed them, but she knew more than most.

Jasper is still snarling at her, standing in the middle of lightning, and even when Bella tightens the circle, he doesn’t budge.  He tells her, “This.”  He waves to himself and his surroundings. “I have been trained and participated in many battles.  You think this is something new?  There is nothing new under the sun.  Ever.”  Then he tries to send her a cocktail of emotions, and is shocked when they ricochet back onto him.  Luckily he can control them, and it only caused him to falter for a second. But it is enough to have him hesitating.

Bella laughs at him. “C’mon Jasper.  Think.” She walks around the enclosure, inspecting it to see what she can learn from it, the vampire inside no longer interesting her.  She knew she was doing this; she can feel it pulling something from within her.

He growls at her. “So your mate is surrounding me with lightning and you are shielding.” He has turned enough to watch her and not letting those he thinks are the threat out of his view either.  He is almost disappointed in how cocky she is being.

She laughs as she came to her previous place and stops. Then she tells him simply, “Nope, this is all me.” She crosses her arms and taps her foot as her mind runs through all the applications of the cage in front of her.

He stares at her, trying to read her.  He may not have his power, but all those years should give him some insight into the woman in front of him.  He finally sighs.  She is calm, and no longer mad.  She is simply showing him that she doesn’t need him.  And that causes a pang deep inside of him.

“How?”

She blinks, not anticipating the question.  “How?”

He nods. “How did you stop the rage you were feeling?  How are you controlling this?” How is she not a rampaging newborn, how is she able to act like herself?

Elijah decides this is enough. He is tired of the insubordinate attitude of the hybrid towards his daughter.  He and Damon walk up and stand on either side of Bella.  Damon stands close enough that they are touching.  But he stands beside her, not defending her, but showing his support.

Damon is proud of his _carissima_.  She has not taken anything from this asshole, and he smirks at the hybrid in the cage and waves his fingers at the man.  He can’t help it, the idiot seems to bring out the snarkiness in him.

Jasper stands straight and doesn’t flinch though the bubble shrinks again.  He stares into Bella’s eyes, searching them as she does the same.   He looks, and there in her eyes, he sees the truth.  She is no longer that teen he remembers.  This woman can fight on her own.  And not only does she know it, but her mate and father both know it, and now…finally, Jasper does too.

Then his phone rings.  Still holding her eyes, he answers the phone. “Whitlock.”

“Finally you have pulled your head from your ass.  Took you long enough.  Did you really want to know what lightning would feel like hitting you?  Cause I can tell you, you probably wouldn’t live through that shit.”

Jasper growls. “Peter.” The asshole who started all of this.

“And that shit about her being yer Mate?  I never said that.  I just said to defend the person you felt the pull to.  She is your fucking great grandbaby!  How fucked up would have that been if you had fucked her?  I just saw that she needed that time to grow into herself, and I figured you would be pissed if you found out later she was alive and you did nada to save her life.  Fucking A, Major! How fucked up can you be?” The voice is very irritated; he had never thought that Jasper would take it to these limits.

Bella can’t help the laugh that comes out of her mouth as she hears this guy reaming into Jasper.  Damon leans down and asks her, “Are you going to let him out now, _mia carissima_?” His breath ghosts on her skin and causes her to shiver, and he cannot help the grin that appears on his face with her reaction.

She huffs.  “I want an apology, and to know how he is my great whatever.  I am not going to be stepped on anymore.  I may not have your experiences, but I have my own.  They count just as much as yours do!  When it’s something that you guys know more about than I do, of course I will listen to you.  If it is something I know, I expect the same courtesy.” She stares over them all, the indignation she feels over the implied insult plain for all to see.

Damon sighs and he wraps an arm around her.  Leaning down, he whispers, “But _mia carissima_ , **_we_** didn’t doubt you.” He sends her his love and how impressed he is with his little mate.

Jasper has heard everything she said and what Peter is saying.  Growing irritated with how he looks like the bad guy in all this, he finally tells Peter, “Enough.  You could have told me and I would have listened.  Sometimes you are just as bad as the pixie, Peter.” He knows Peter hates to be even mentioned in the same sentence as Alice, but the truth is, he would have done anything to protect Bella if he had known she was the last living relative of his.

A stunned silence came from the phone.

Jasper smirks, finally feeling somewhat in control again. “Oh yeah, your gift is telling you that I am right.  A lot of this misunderstanding comes from your cryptic shit. If you had told me, I would have done as much as I did already.  Maria killed my family.  My wife.  And she told me that she had killed my sons, too.  So why would I not want to know?” He ends softly as he remembers the pain of thinking that his entire family was dead, and how that thought had caused to him to shut down a lot of his humanity.  He will admit now that he had tried to get killed, but the beast inside him was too strong, and he instead emerged more and more powerful as time went by.

He looks out at Bella, turns his phone off, and puts it back in his pocket.  “I apologize, Bella.  I truly thought you were my mate, and I was confused.  I felt the same pull to Damon, and thought that maybe you were both my mates.  As Peter said, this is truly fucked up.” He shrugs, feeling as though he is back in control now.  He knows what is going on, and they can move forward.

Damon shakes his head at the entrapped vampire. “And that’s it?  You think Bella is going to forgive you because it was a misunderstanding?  She wasn’t mad at you for the mate thing, that was mine and Elijah’s issue with you.  She just refused you.  But it was the pushing you did, treating her as a pet, that made her angry enough to pull lightening. That is the hardest element to control, but you pushed her hard enough that she did it without any problems.” By the time he is done, he is glaring at the idiot who pushed his mate that far.  He is lucky; a lot of Elementals are burned out because they don’t control the power correctly.

[ ](http://kittyinaz.files.wordpress.com/2014/02/damon-78.jpg)

Elementals have to make sure that they are grounded when they call the elements.  When he called Wind, he instinctively had the equal pressure against him that he pushed out.  Otherwise, he would have been smashed.  With Lightning, the most dangerous, you literally have to ground yourself.  The lightning actually comes from you, striking you and flowing through you to reach your target when you use it as Bella is.  And to have it surging continuously? Damon shudders.  She could have fried before he could have gotten to her to take the charge himself.

Jasper just stares into the eyes of his great granddaughter, searching for anything to give him a clue.  He knew it had to be her mother.  There was no way Charlie was his.  But then, Renee didn’t do such a grand stand job of raising Bella either.  He sighs.

Bella returns his stare, and finally tells him, “You were treating me like Edward did.  That shit needs to stop.  Decide what you want to do.” And with that she pulls the lightning and shield back into her.  Instead of melding like she expected it to, it instead came around both Damon and herself.  It glows brighter around them, then flashes before sinking into them.

Elijah grins. “Well, it is confirmed. You are both Elementals.” He almost wanted to rub his hands in glee.  His family, his heir and her mate, are safe.  It would take a lot to take them out on their own, and he will be bolstering their strengths with as many spells and anything else as he can.  He doesn’t want there to be any chance of anything happening to his daughter.  He loves Elena, but he has waited for Bella for over a millennium, though it wasn’t like he wouldn’t do the same with his mate.  His family is going to be powerful, and he will ensure that everyone will think twice before messing with any of them.

Damon and Bella just stare at each other.  They’d had a close bond to begin with, but that flash just downloaded a lot into their heads.

Bella suddenly exclaims, “Shit.” And with that, her eyes roll back and Damon catches her before she hits the ground. He swings her into his arm and his eyes meet Elijah’s as both worry about his mate.

 

* * *

[ ](http://kittyinaz.files.wordpress.com/2014/02/2013-03-09_0603.jpg)

Damon carries her into the family room, and is kneeling by her head when she comes to. He grins at her. “Hello there, _mia carissima_.” His relief is almost crippling.  If they had been alone, he would have her in his arms and he would be checking over every inch of her.  But for now, he uses the information they have gained to check over her.

She smiles, but winces as her head throbs. “I didn’t think I would have headaches as a vampire.” Her voice is wry and filled with her pain.

He smirks as he opens his wrist and gives it to her.  “Normally I get them from witchy, but I guess I don’t have to worry about that anymore.” He cannot stop the purr erupting out of him as he feels his mates lips on his wrist, then the sensation of her drinking from him makes his eyes go dark with lust.

She smiles as she drinks, then licks his wrist when she feels her headache receding. She meets his dark eyes with her own, and the promise in them has him grinning.  He kisses her forehead and then rests his own on hers, relieved for the break from all the drama for the moment.

[ ](http://kittyinaz.files.wordpress.com/2014/02/elijah-7.jpg)

Elijah had been pacing, and he is relieved to see her here in the moment with them, but asks, “What happened?” He wanted them to have time to  themselves, but everything just seems to revolve around them.  They are living several lifetimes of excitement in the span of less than a week, and he is worried for both of them.

Looking up at him as Damon helps her sit up, she informs him, “A huge download of information.  Seems we share everything.  He has my shield and anything else I will develop as time goes by, and in return, I have his vampire abilities and anything else that he will develop as time goes by.  We also need to get hold of Elena and the bitch who tried to fry me with her powers.  Bennet needs to grow up.  She was given the power to keep Klaus away and hopefully kill him from the Other Side.  That is the worst thing we can do.  He is needed.  Badly.” She looks back to Damon, and he holds her close as he reassures her that if they have to, they will fight everyone to save Klaus, even her father if need be.  The future was that bleak without Klaus.

They all stare at her in shock. “Why would Bonnie get the power from the Other Side then?” Elijah asks, trying to understand what is going on.

Damon looks up at him. “Cause your mother wants you dead.”

 

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**Final count:  3,362 words.**

**Fairfarren~Wendy**


	21. You’re Dead Alive

# You’re Dead Alive

 

**[ ](http://kittyinaz.files.wordpress.com/2014/01/mystic-falls-1.png) **

 

**Disclosure:  Twilight and Vampire Diaries are owned by their respective braianics that thought of it.**

**Pre Edit Count -   1,625 Words**

_Song I listened to for this chapter: Anthem of the Angels_ by Breaking Benjamin.

 

* * *

_Previous:_

_Looking up at him as Damon helps her sit up, she informs him, “A huge download of information.  Seems we share everything.  He has my shield and anything else I will develop as time goes by, and in return, I have his vampire abilities and anything else that he will develop as time goes by.  We also need to get hold of Elena and the bitch who tried to fry me with her powers.  Bennet needs to grow up.  She was given the power to keep Klaus away and hopefully kill him from the Other Side.  That is the worst thing we can do.  He is needed.  Badly.” She looks back to Damon, and he holds her close as he reassures her that if they have to, they will fight everyone to save Klaus, even her father if need be.  The future was that bleak without Klaus._

_They all stare at her in shock. “Why would Bonnie get the power from the Other Side then?” Elijah asks, trying to understand what is going on._

_Damon looks up at him. “Cause your mother wants you dead.”_

_Now:_

 

 

* * *

[  ](http://kittyinaz.files.wordpress.com/2014/02/elijah-4.jpg)

Elijah stares at Damon.  “What?” His _mother_?  The one that made them this way, the one who cast the spell that started the entire race of them, wants them dead?  And she is helping to kill Klaus by giving a witch the power to do so, even though from what Damon and Bella are saying it would be the worst thing that could happen?  He just stands there trying to make sense of this information.

Jasper sits in the corner trying to make sense of the total upheaval of his life.  He finally clears his throat, hoping to have this explained to him.  What are they talking about?  Who is Klaus and what is this Other Side?

 

[ ](http://kittyinaz.files.wordpress.com/2014/02/jasper-14.jpg)

 

When they all look at him, he tells them, “Why don’t you start at the beginning?  I have no idea what is going on, and maybe regurgitating it, will allow you to put it together.” In his eyes is a plea for him to be involved, to be allowed to do whatever he can to save the last of his family.  Bella’s irritation with him was not something he had anticipated, not since it had been explained.

They all look at him, then back to Bella, whose face is set.  Finally, Damon states to him, “It’s up to Bella.  You have to get her forgiveness.” Because he, for one, cannot allow this man to just assume to be a part of them, not when he treated Bella like he had.  His _carissima_ is not to be underestimated by any in their inner circle.  She can kick all their asses, and if she for some reason is not able to, he will be there to help her.  But she can take care of herself, and might actually be the best one to do so with her research.

 

[ ](http://kittyinaz.files.wordpress.com/2014/03/leighton-meester-photo-018.jpg)

 

Jasper turns and looks at Bella, and she simply stares back at him.  She is not going to make it easy on him.  She is still mad about the way he tried to make her submit to him.  Never again.  Her father and Damon certainly don’t try to make her, and she figures that they have more rights than Jasper, even if he is her great whatever. She is no longer that seventeen-year-old girl.  She has taught herself to be more, and she will never allow another to walk all over her.  Not even Damon and her Father.

Watching her and sensing how she feels, Jasper sighs then leans forward.  He begins to recount what made them a family, what had happened to him, and why he never thought of her being family to him. “When I was sixteen, I was married to a woman that my Pa picked for me.  That was common back then.  But I fell in love with her, and we had twins.  Then the war came closer, and my Pa had wanted to send me to fight, but I was too young.  So I went and lied about my age, and enlisted.  I became an officer in a very short amount of time.  This pleased everyone, since it was better pay and I sent home every penny for my wife and kids.  This continued for years as I made my way up to being the youngest Major in history, even with the age they had for me. Then came the evacuation of Galveston, and I met three red eyed women on the way to Houston.  They bit me, and changed me.  But somehow, I had blood from your type of vampire in me, too, but no one knows from who or even when.  I spent five days changing, buried in the ground so that no one could hear me screaming.  When I emerged from my grave, Maria had my wife in front of her, with my two small sons.  She told me that if I did not obey her, that she would kill my family.” The last part is said in a broken voice.  Even as a newborn, he had not wanted to hurt his family; he could sense them as being that.  He knew Maria had hoped for him to kill them right away but when he didn’t she used them to keep him in line.  The nightmare of his life as a vampire had only just begun.

Jasper looks up with a haunted face. “I believed her.  I had no sense of my emotions, nor could I make heads or tails of all the emotions seemingly coming at me from all directions.  I fought for her, and made a name for myself.  Then I came back one night from hunting to check on my family, and…the room was a bloodbath.  Seems a newborn was ‘accidentally’ in the area, and it killed my family.” 

 

[ ](http://kittyinaz.files.wordpress.com/2014/03/tumblr_mj5h8hjijy1qawchto1_500.jpg)

 

Damon tightens his arms around his mate, and even Elijah flinches.  This is not something that he even knew was happening.  If he remembers correctly, he was in England while this descendent of his was being made to go through hell itself.

 

[ ](http://kittyinaz.files.wordpress.com/2014/03/vlcsnap-2013-05-22-19h37m21s18.jpg)

 

He gathers himself. “I lost it.  I killed towns and cities in my rage.  I couldn’t deal with it, and that is where the Major stepped in.  My beast.  When I woke up again, it was because this little fucker was bugging the shit out of me.  But he made the Major laugh.  And the Major is part of me, and he wanted me to be happy too.  So he introduced me to Peter the hard way…by dropping me out of my state into life again.” Peter knew what he had been doing, and he did everything to bring Jasper back out, knowing that he would be needed later on in the future, a future that could only come about if Jasper survived this time in hell.

[ ](http://kittyinaz.files.wordpress.com/2014/03/jasper-red-eyes.jpg)

Jasper shakes his head. “It was…almost more than I could take.  But I got a handle, and the two of us merged.  There was no other way to survive.  And then I found out that the Major had killed more than anyone could count.  Maria noticed my strength was not going away, was getting stronger in fact.  She wanted more like me, and forced the Major to turn people.  We had no way of knowing that I was a hybrid.  Peter was the first to survive.  He thinks it is because he remembers seeing a doctor and taking some kind of tonic.  It had tasted odd, but cured him.  He thinks it was a vampire who gave him blood, and he had enough of your type’s blood to allow the change.  Later, unknown to me, he tried it with a woman he had felt a pull to, who his knower told him was his mate.  It worked.  And we never told another how to do it.” He looks off in the distance for a second, remembering his family.

He rubs his eyebrow with a finger. “I have no idea how you are related to me, since my family died that night.  I have this intense need to protect you, but then, I was very protective of my family.  It’s hard to reconcile the mousy Bella Swan with you.  It’s like you are two totally different people.  I’m sorry.  I need to get to know you all over again and forget the Bella I knew, though I hope _she_ is still here.  She is the one who woke me up, who made me think.  I have no idea how I got to that state.  But Edward truly thought of you as a pet, and it infuriated me.  So I attacked him.  And that was why they tried to keep me chained up.  I waited until they thought I was complacent again, and they went hunting.  I made no plans, and let the Major come to the forefront and escaped.  The rest you know.” He rests his hands on the chair, waiting to see what happens now.  He has all his cards on the table.

Elijah looks at him, “Why didn’t your eyes change? The gold eye color would be hard to fake.” He knows his daughter would have not missed it if his eyes were not the odd honey color from drinking human blood.

Jasper chuckles. “Demetri only has himself to go by.  He meets the other hybrids early in their life, or later.  I think it matters how much blood you drink.  The color is starting to come through since I went back to humans, but even when I drank from animals, my eyes were a different gold than theirs.” He had been thrilled when his natural green came back; he had always hated the gold color.

But the entire time he is watching Bella.  She is the one who matters.  She would be the one to either allow him to be close to the last member of his family, or send him away without another chance.

Bella thinks over what he had said, what he has suffered through, and finally looks up at him. “This is your only chance, Jasper.  I will not be treated like that again.  There is no need for it, and it’s demeaning.” She meets his eyes, conveying her absolute conviction.

He nods as the relief flows through him, glad to have this last chance.  He will not blow it, no matter what anyone says.

Sighing, Bella stands up, and Damon is beside her.  “Let’s go in the library.  And what about Demetri?  Is he trustworthy?”  Her distaste of the hybrid is evident in her voice, but she _is_ giving Jasper another chance.

Jasper looks up.  Then he sighs. “He is.  It’s up to you if you want to trust him.  But he _has_ kept the secret of the hybrids from his masters.” But his distaste for the hybrid is visible on his face.  He really hates the hero worship from the man, but Demetri had found him when he was particularly brutal and it had impressed the crap out of the little shit.

Damon narrows his eyes as he thinks.  Then he shrugs. “If he lies to us, we will end him.  But from what we learned, _Stella_ , we will need all the allies we can get our hands on.” He looks down at his mate, letting her know it is her choice.

She sighs, and rests her head on Damon.  She is tired.  It is not even noon, and so much shit has already happened.  He puts his arm around her and pulls her to him.  He looks over her head at Jasper, silently telling him that he will end him if he distressed his mate again.

Elijah had been thinking about what Jasper had told them and finally asked, “Who leads the hybrids?” They need to get this firmed up, and get everyone under control.  It really sounds like something serious is going to be going down.

Jasper looks up at him, “No one.  We spend much of our time making sure no one knows about us.  Unfortunately, we always seem to be around the Cold Ones when we change, so there is no way not to have to hide. You guys are much more lax.” He shifts to be more comfortable, relaxing his body from the high alert he has been in since that phone call from Peter all those years ago.

Elijah chuckles.  Bella looks at him and reveals to him, “Klaus will be in charge of them.  You will lead the Cold Ones and us.  We will help.  But mostly the Cold Ones want to be left alone.  It is why the so-called rule works for them.  None of them want humans to know about them, but someone is going to need to get them under control.  No more making others willy nilly and leaving them often with no guidance, no more newborn armies and so forth.  Nature is rebelling and she has listed us as her weapons.” Her voice becomes resolute by the end of it, her eyes meeting Damon as they both remember the information they were given from Mother Earth.

Elijah stares at his daughter for a moment then closes his eyes. “Why now?” Why not before? Why did it have to involve his daughter, and why can’t he just worry about wooing his mate and celebrate the finding of his daughter?  There is enough drama already with Klaus and normal day-to-day things.  Why did they need this?

Damon answered for them, “Because she is being torn apart.  In reality, it started when your mother cursed Klaus.  That is why there are doppelgangers.  His curse was not meant to be, and he is the way he is to correct a wrong.  But, your mother has killed any others that have come to trying to lift his curse.  There is another reason and it has to do with my brother, but I don’t know what it is.  Basically we need to get our houses in order.  Your mother is a formidable force even locked in the Other Realm.” He doesn’t tell them the reason he and Bella are getting the information is because of the Elemental Lords’ status.  They are literally _hers_ , the ability is one of hers that she gives to those she selects as her direct agents.

Elijah collapses in a chair, running his hand through his hair as he asks, “And my family?” He hates to give up his revenge against Klaus but, if he has to, he will.

Bella smiles at him, “I don’t know what Klaus has told you, but he has them all.  Elijah, it’s time to end this.  We can go over this now, and again with the rest of them, and yet again with your brother, or we get them all here and go over it all at once.  But Mother Earth has called in her tools that she had put in place.  Now it is time to pay her back.  It is why she has made so many Mates right now.” She subtly reminds him of his own mate, and lets him know that this is his reward.

 

[ ](http://kittyinaz.files.wordpress.com/2014/03/damon-197.jpg)

 

Damon sighs as he holds Bella closer. “And there is more after we do this errand, but it will take a much bigger group to handle it.  But they all have their own tasks.  So what is the answer?” A lot depends on Elijah’s response.  Neither Bella nor Damon want to go against him, but the alternative is too catastrophic to even entertain.  But they have a choice.

Elijah looks up at them, rubs his face, and finally nods. “I guess it is time to gather them all and get our butts moving.  Mother is calling after all.”

* * *

**Final count: 2,664 words.**

**Fairfarren~Wendy**

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**A/N:  Come by and check out my WP site, kittyinaz dot com, for full chapters of this and all my other stories, loads of pics and .gifs, up-to-date news about contests on my Facebook group, information about nominations for awards that you can vote for, and so much more!**


	22. It’s Now or Never

#  It’s Now or Never

**[ ](http://kittyinaz.files.wordpress.com/2014/02/1009897_621676234538890_1078530381_n.jpg) **

 

**Disclosure:  Twilight and Vampire Diaries are owned by their respective braianics that thought of it.**

**Pre Edit Count -   2,354 Words**

_Song I listened to for this chapter: It’s My Life_ by Bon Jovi.

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_Previous:_

_Bella smiles at him. “I don’t know what Klaus has told you, but he has them all.  Elijah, it’s time to end this.  We can go over this now, and again with the rest of them, and yet again with your brother, or we get them all here and go over it all at once.  But Mother Earth has called in Her tools that She had put in place.  Now it is time to pay Her back.  It is why She has made so many Mates right now.” She subtly reminds him of his own mate, and lets him know that this is his reward._

_Damon sighs as he holds Bella closer. “And there is more after we do this errand, but it will take a much bigger group to handle it.  But they all have their own tasks.  So what is the answer?” A lot depends on Elijah’s response.  Neither Bella nor Damon wants to go against him, but the alternative is too catastrophic to even entertain.  But they have a choice._

_Elijah looks up at them, rubs his face, and finally nods. “I guess it is time to gather them all and get our butts moving.  Mother is calling, after all.”_

_Now:_

* * *

That afternoon found them all gathered at Bella’s house.  Elijah had promised her that they had a witch who would enchant the house to make it seem as though Bella and Damon were human.  Damon had mentioned that he may rebuild his own home to have a place for these types of meetings if they needed to continue.

He knew that Bella didn’t want her home open to just anyone, and there is no way she wanted Stefan being able to come and go; she told Elijah that she had an odd feeling about the vampire.  There was just something about him and his almost maniac need to be with Elena.

There had been enough issues with having Klaus come to the meeting, but come he did, and everyone glared at him and at Damon and Bella since they had told everyone that there would be no attacking him.

[ ](http://kittyinaz.files.wordpress.com/2014/02/pic_1383763652_1001.jpg)

Klaus just smirks as he settles in his seat. “Well, dear brother, looks like you found your heirs.  And for them to be mated, well isn’t that a coup for you?” He stares at the two new family members in front of him, but he has an odd feeling there is another family member here who he did not know.  He has had this feeling a couple times, and has wondered each time who it is.

[ ](http://kittyinaz.files.wordpress.com/2014/02/elijah-8.jpg)

Elijah just gives him a look, and then switches his gaze to the aforementioned pair. “This is your meeting; you guys can tell us what information you received today.” He settles as close as he can to Elena but in such a way that he is close to his daughter as well.  He trusts that Damon can protect her, but the need to be near her is strong.

Bella sits at her desk and Damon stands behind her with the two of them in physical contact. “Today we were given information on why the Mated pairs are starting to show up.  There has been something blocking Mates from finding each other, taking it to the point of killing the other half if need be. That is why it was so hard for us to find the other ones, and from the information we are receiving, Mother Earth is tired of it all.”  She looks around then adds, “I don’t think we want _HER_ to be upset if you know what I mean.”

 

[ ](http://kittyinaz.files.wordpress.com/2014/02/damon-salvatore-333-gif-damon-salvatore-18941640-400-226.gif)

Damon takes up the narrative. “Because of what has been happening, since something is interfering with Her Mates meeting, She has decided to interfere. Seems Mother Earth is responsible for Mates.  Finding the other half of your soul is meant to bring harmony to all species, but something is interfering, and is bringing a dark future to us. So, to prevent that, She is bringing all the Mates into the world again, and She is forcing her players into action.  Whatever, whoever is doing this is tearing the world apart, and soon will be the coming of the Three.  The world will be a different place, literally, and we need to have everything ready for it.  One of the things She has been fighting with the Other Side about is Klaus himself.  She never meant for her Werewolves to be in so much pain when they shift.  They play a big part in what will come, but it is too late for them due to the Cold Ones killing them whenever they could.”

He pauses, then admits with a shrug of his shoulders, “Although, the ones killing them were set up and have a legitimate reason to be doing it. We are up against some sneaky people who have been planning for this for millenniums and we are the rock she has thrown at an unexpected moment. While our plans will help, She has mentioned that a new pack is coming about that is unreal to the rest of the world.  This new pack is getting their world reshaped, and we will be getting help from them. They will have to take the duties of the werewolves who were to have been under Klaus’s control by now.” He rubs his Mates shoulders and wonders along with her how many times she has been on the earth for him to find but was killed before he could. However, there is no guarantee that this is not the first time around for Bella’s soul.  There is no set time for a pair of Mates to meet. But he hopes that she is a new soul, that she has not suffered through the ages as they tried to meet over and over again.

The rest of the group just stares at them in shock, then Stefan demands of the two with a frown on his face, “So you want Elena to die for this Mother Nature?” He cannot believe that Damon would allow this.  No, this has to be his so-called Mate’s interference.  She is just trying to kill the woman who held Damon’s attention before her.  Nothing can harm Elena!!! **_Nothing!_**

Bella lifts her eyebrow at him as Damon gives him a look of pure hell. They both feel the wrongness since they came back, and with what they know, there is something wrong. The only thing they know is that Damon is the rock thrown to help Stefan, and Bella is the rock for Damon. There was so much that their Mother had to work with, and to have some of the stuff from the past to be countered, well even she cannot tell them all of it. However, She has left them with some vague impressions, and Stefan is a major impression that there is something wrong. “No.  There will be some hardships, and Elena will need to be changed to complete it, but we are not sacrificing anyone who doesn’t deserve it. We would have rather found a way to keep her alive as Elijah had planned to do, a witche’s spell or a potion of some sort. Instead, regretfully, the best way is for her to die. Or have someone give their life for her.  Nothing else will work.  A life for a life. The Fates have it written that Elena should die in the ritual, so a life has to be given to counter it. Not even She can deny them something like this. She can have Elena come back as a new person, but there is no guarantee how long that will take.” His voice has that tone that indicates he thinks his brother is insane.  Allow Elena to die and have Elijah being torn between his daughter and his Mate?  Never!  No, they had both argued about this to Mother Earth and She had shown them the results.  A life for a life is the only answer.

Listening to all of this, Klaus’s smirk grows. “So you are going to allow me to transform?” He clasps his hands before him and stares at the two leading the group right now as he waits to hear what they say. He hates to sound so self-serving, but none of these blokes really can understand the pain of  being denied the freedom of changing. His pain, as far as he can tell, is worse than what the werewolves suffer through to transform. His body is trying to change, and the spell holds it off, one second after the change starts. One fucking second and it’s enough to start his whole body aching, his bones to start shattering and so forth. So yes, he really wants to change. He really wants the pain to stop; he has suffered terribly since the curse was cast.

 

[ ](http://kittyinaz.files.wordpress.com/2014/02/f6f9de0099fed322cb8627a5365a368e.jpg)

Bella rolls her eyes at him. While she and Damon had been aghast at the pain he suffers, neither of them can quite excuse all the pain and suffering he has caused. But they do understand why he has daggered Bella’s family. And they respect him for the idea, thought they think he could have done it in another way. Now, neither of them will allow them to die. She tells him with an arched eyebrow, “And you are going to un-dagger my aunt and uncles.  We also need to deal with your mother’s coffin since she is already preparing to come back to try to end you.” She lays out the terms to Klaus that the two of them had decided using the information that they had been given.  Even though Bella’s experience with family so far has not been the greatest, they know Elijah wishes to have his brothers and sister back.  Damon wishes his mentor not to have to suffer anymore. Pure and simple. He will protect his Mate from her family if need be.

Just staring at her, Klaus asks, “Excuse me?” His eyebrow lifts as he stares down Bella.  The two of them meet stare for stare, and the longer they are at it, the more those present can see the family resemblance between them.  Amused, Elijah finally shakes his head and meets Damon’s similarly amused gaze. He loves that Klaus has another in the family that won’t take his shit.

Letting it go on to allow them the chance to show that they really are family, Damon finally sighs when he feels the contest is now entering the ridiculous stage. “Your mommie dearest is plotting to come back and kill her children, therefore ending all vampires since if you die, so do we.   I knew that line of Salvatores was sick, but never to this degree.” He rolls his eyes at the branch that he had researched with Bella’s blessing as he tried to get a handle on them.  They were all a bit more mystically inclined than his branch. He couldn’t think of why she would think it was such a great idea to end vampires when the alternative is the Cold Ones. They will overrun the Earth. Yet another thing they had to deal with.

They all stare at them, and Alaric finally says, “You guys are all related?” He cannot believe it.  Everyone seems to be related to each other in this odd little town.  It’s making him wonder, and the more time he spends under Damon and Bella’s influence, the more alive that researcher part of himself becomes. He chuckles to himself, it isn’t like the hunter side is doing any good. He is learning how powerful the vampires really are.

Elijah nods, remembering their earlier conversation and him filling in some of the blanks they had. “Any vampire we sire is connected to us.  And as you said, we are related.  Seems Mother had a plan, and _our_ mother has been spending a lot of time disrupting it from here and from the Other Side.  She thinks that what she’s doing is right, but we suspect that there is someone else behind it all.  But, to tell you the truth, we don’t have time to figure it out right now.” He growls the last part out because he really wants to know _who_ is trying to direct everything from the shadows and _what_ their plans must be for his family.   He is just happy that Damon and Bella will continue even if his mother kills her family.

 

[ ](http://kittyinaz.files.wordpress.com/2014/02/damon-damon-salvatore-27053410-500-282.gif)

Damon nods, bringing their attention back to them as he feels something like a ghost moving behind him. He looks, but he tells them, “Bonnie has been fed lies all her life to try to make her hate vampires, and even her Grams’ death was part of the plot to make her hate vampires, me in particular.  The stone thrown to counter that was thrown a couple thousand years ago, and we have Bella here to thwart the witch.  But it is free will that governs everything, and that fucks up everything, too.” He scrunches his face as he explains, trying to figure out how to put it to this group.  Free will determines _everything_.  It is what allows the plans to be screwed up; it allows the Other Side to mess up everything, and it leaves it up to them **_if_** they will fix it.

Bella nods her head as she takes over for him. “Free will led to the wolves being almost wiped out. Free will led us to this mess that we have today where people who should be working together are, in fact, enemies of each other.  And free will is what will fix this.  We are the stones thrown throughout time to counter the enemies, and it’s up to us to accept our roles, or not.” She feels Damon’s hands pressing on her and his support flowing through to her, and she sends her own love and support back to him. They both had issues with what was needed, with neither wanting the death of Elena. Damon had told her how much Elena didn’t want to die, how she loved Stefan, and couldn’t think of how to handle a future that did not include him, but allowed her to have children. Now they both know it is Elijah who is meant for her.

They both look over the group, and then he informs them, “Elijah is to take control of the Cold Ones, and our type of vampire, until the fated Three come.  Seems the Cold Ones were an answer to us, and someone made them purposely to fight against us, their own stone throw from the past to counter us.  That whole free will thing?  Well, it worked out well.  There aren’t many of them who know who made them, nor owe them any fealty, but this was planned so that if we got our shit together, we can’t find out from them who our enemy is.  So, we need to go in and control them.  Klaus is to be in control of the wolves, except this new pack.  This new pack was supposed to be the enemy, but that free will kicked in and now they are allied to us. For once it is working on our side.  They have their own structure and way of working, and believe me, Klaus, you wouldn’t wish what they are suffering through on your worst enemy.” He clears his throat as he remembers how they had felt the wolves’ agony for a few seconds, and never wanted to feel that again. Neither he nor Bella would want their suffering; they had felt it all, even greeted the leaders of the new allies, but both could feel the deep sorrow in both of them. In them was the wish of a life together that was betrayed by someone.

Damon expresses to them, “Though we say Elijah is in control, there is one who is above us all right now, and he is the one who will coordinate all the others.  Then there are the Bennet witches who were supposed to be the leaders of the witches.  If Witchy here doesn’t get her shit together, then it will pass on to someone else.  There are no leeways. Mother Nature allows you your choices, but She will take action and replace you.” He stares at Bonnie, not caring beyond the fact they knew who the leader of the witches is.  Neither Damon nor Bella thinks Bonnie deserves it.  She is too immature at this time. She has used her powers for petty revenge, and while they consider the reason why valid, the ways she has used her actual powers against him are nothing but petty. Setting him on fire in such a slow way to increase his pain and fear?

 

[ ](http://kittyinaz.files.wordpress.com/2014/02/vlcsnap-2013-05-22-19h13m52s4.jpg)

 

Then Bella smiles at Jasper, letting him know he is to be a part of them. She may take a little time to understand everything, but she can’t hide the truth; she will forgive him. She still wants to know the rest of his story.  “You are to be the leader of the hybrids under Klaus.  Again, something that arose out of free will, but She is using you.  And there are far more of you than you think.  Demetri only catches them if they are like him.  Seems there are more like me than we guessed, and yes, the venom has some properties that it gives to my type that it doesn’t give to those like him.  You, Jasper, are actually the closest to being half and half of all the beings out there.” And that had been a shock.  There was an actual rule that a Cold One is not to suck out venom because of the chance that it could result in the person becoming a hybrid.  Luckily it fell by the wayside before it could be circulated. No one of the Cold Ones know the rule; it has been forgotten with the beginnings of their race.

The two of them look at each other, not liking the next part, but felt the need to let the group know. It had been one of the times they had argued with Gaia as they did not want Elena to be used just for her blood, to be regulated to nothing but a blood bag. But She showed that her hands were tied in this as it is under the control of the Fates. So, they tell them.  “Elena will need to have blood withdrawn often since Klaus will need her blood to complete the changes of any afterwards.  Unless we need them to be more powerful than normal, then they can have some of her blood from her being a vampire.  It had been part of the curse, a way for your mother to keep Klaus from achieving everything he was supposed to. We argued about this, as well as the whole kill Elena thing, but we were told that she had no power over it. Again, we can ignore her information, and then need to wait. It’s her choice.”  They stare at Elijah, knowing it will come down to him at the end. If he cannot stand for his Mate to go through it, then they will back aside. And Elena’s choice is the end all of it all. But they were going through the lines.

Elijah doesn’t like what he is hearing. This is his Mate, not some bloodbag.  He had not liked it when they mentioned it earlier, though not in such detail. But he acknowledges that yet again they are only reacting to what has been done in the past. It does not excuse the choices they are giving, but they are making sure they all know it is having that choice which make the difference. He will not stand in the way of his Mate standing up for what she believes, but if they try to force her, he will fight even his long-awaited daughter for her right to choose.

The sad thing, though,  is that they are playing a catch up game, not something he particularly enjoys doing.  He stands up and tells them all seriously, “I am happy with this set of requests.  It should not cost the life of anyone, not of one who wants so much more in her life.  However, on the other hand, this is it.  The people in this room need to decide if we are going to continue being the puppets of others who don’t seem to take our free will into consideration, or do what we were born to do and have the complete free will to do as we wish. I will enforce that right for everyone, against any of you, with my life if needed to be.” He meets each of their eyes, then continues, “At the same time, as long as choices are accepted and made freely, I for one will be doing my best to do what Mother wishes.  Seems She has put a lot of work into this to fix everything.  What say you?” He stares at each one, making certain they understand this is not just about Klaus’s curse, but about many more things coming their way to fix what has been done in the past. He hates the fact that while he will gain her for eternity, it will cost Elena her life.  But the part of him that wants her happy is upset with the truth that she would rather grow old and die with her family around her. He is divided and, knowing this, gives the choice to his Mate without her even knowing what he is sacrificing for her.

Elena nods as she makes up her mind. “I will do it.” She has listened to every bit of the information that Bella and Damon had given her. A life for a life. Either her life or someone else’s for her to survive the ritual. And hearing the options for what would happen if she did not go through it, well, she cannot have it. It sounds like the alternative would make her loved ones and friends suffer more. She cannot even bare to think her decision makes their lives harder. Yes, she wants children, but she doesn’t want them if that choice makes life hell for them. And becoming a vampire is obviously not so bad, look at Damon and Bella.

Jumping up, Stefan demands of her, “No!  I will not allow it!! You are mine, and you have never wished to be a vampire.  I won’t allow you to give up your human life just because somebody says it’s needed!” This is not how this works!!! They have suffered and bled to make sure she remains alive, not for her to give it all up so easily!  There is no proof that any of this is even for real!

Glaring at the man in front of her, Elena stands up to face him, not knowing that Elijah has moved close to her and so has Klaus. “Allow it?  It’s my life, Stefan! And I can do what I chose with it!  If you cannot accept it, then you can leave.  I will no longer be a face in the crowd, going with the flow.  I wanted to be myself, and I see that you are not going to allow it.  Enough.” She turns to face Damon and Bella, and nods to them, letting them know she will do what is needed. No, she won’t allow Stefan save her to sacrifice the world as the alternative. She is not sure that is the future that could happen, but she cannot forgive herself if she allows it.

Klaus catches something out of the corner of his eye, and when he looks at his brother, he can see the elation going through him at Elena standing up for herself.  And then he realizes that the doppelganger is Elijah’s Mate. She is the one that completes the last part of Elijah, and he shakes his head with the knowledge that his brother wouldn’t tell her, that she would have to make the choice for herself.  That makes him reevaluate his speech in a new light.  He was telling them that Elijah would fight for her right to choose.

That makes him reevaluate everything.  Sure, he is jealous that Elijah found Bella.  But to find out that his brother has been suffering because of the separation from Elena… He realizes that life is much more complicated than what he has always taken it as.  He knew of the pain that Finn and Sage had suffered, and it dawns on him that he will have much to answer for.  And starting now, he will do so.  If their Mates are being reborn, then there might be a chance that he will find his own.  He doesn’t want what he has done in the past, much less what he currently does, to drive away his Mate; he wants to be worthy of his Mate.

He nods and straightens up as he states in his accented voice, “I am willing to do my part.  The ritual conditions will be set in three days.  I will have our brothers and sister un-daggered and awake by then.  I take it you have an idea for the wolf and vampire I will be needing to kill?”  He looks at Damon and Bella since they are running the show. He is giving them the Alpha position he has fought for and achieved for most of his life.

Stefan twirls around to face the hybrid they had been set to give their lives to in Elena’s defense, and demands, “And that is all you are going to say?  ‘I am willing to do my part and what can I do?’  I don’t get this!” He is vibrating in anger over what is going on.  None of it makes sense.  His brother and his so-called Mate say they need to do this, and they all just agree?  How can they be sure that Bella and Klaus aren’t in cahoots with each other? He actually vibrates with rage and glares at Bella, knowing this is all her fault. His whole world is falling in on him and it all started when she arrived.

Seeing him actually vibrating as he glares at Bella, Klaus walks in front of him, blocking her from his view and shakes his head. “Stefan, mate.  When the Mother of Creation calls for you to take your place, you answer Her with love and a ‘yes ma’am.’  I am tired.  All I want is for the curse to be lifted from me so I don’t have the feeling of trying to change and not being able to every full moon.  It hurts, to be frank.  And now we are being told that there has been no reason for all the pain for these many years not only for me, but for the wolves, too?  How can I answer otherwise?” He looks at the person he had once counted as a friend, though he admits he had enjoyed Stefan’s ripper phase.  It had been a sign of how much he had been hurting to want to see others suffer more. But he is not liking how Stefan is acting, the protective instincts that made him dagger his family to save them, knowing that they would hate him for it, but he did it anyway to allow them to be around to be able to hate him, surge forth at the thought of Stefan attacking Bella. He has admitted to himself that she is family.

His hands clenching and unclenching, Stefan is enraged.  He has had everything ripped from him time and time again, either by his brother or by fate.  He is tired of being the good one, but had thought it was all worth it because of Elena.  And now finding out that she is not his, that she is refusing him, fires through him making it hard to control himself. He snarls at them, his eyes black, as his rage focuses on the one being who, in his mind, made this all happen, and he jumps to attack.

Before he can reach anyone, Bella and Damon react and imprison him in the same lightning cage Bella had used before on Jasper.  This time, because they are doing it together, there is hardly any strain on them, both of them using the powers that are natural to them. The ease of it makes them glance at the other, but then they bring their attention to Stefan. Damon is vibrating with the rage that his own brother had went for his Mate. But even with that action against his Mate, Damon still doesn’t want to hurt Stefan.

Jasper shakes his head.  He had been hardheaded but this man?  He lifts an eyebrow to Bella and Damon, asking if he should proceed with his gift to send the overwrought vampire to sleep, hoping that he will wake in a more reasonable mood.  When Damon nods to him, he sends his power towards the globe, and he feels the resistance of the shield, but then his power seeps through into the globe and knocks out the vampire inside it.  It is an odd sensation to say the least, but it ups his respect of his Bella and her Mate, for the power they held, but had used to only hold the vampire in it that had been snarling at them, his fangs dripping with his rage.

Then Jasper stands up, and, trusting the two after that demonstration of their power, he walks into the globe to grab the vampire.  “In the dungeon?” he asks casually, his southern accent coming through as he walks out with Stefan in his arms as the globe dissolves behind him.

They nod. Damon tells him, “There is a room that smells of him. Put him in the chains over his clothing to make sure he cannot get out.” Jasper nods, and leaves to deposit the vampire somewhere that can hold him.

Then everyone looks at Bonnie.  She is the last one who really matters and they need to learn her answer.  The others are important, but she right now needs to decide on what she is going to do.

Bonnie had been thinking about what they have been saying, and didn’t like the implication that she has been manipulated all this time into the position she is in now. Killing her Grams in such a way as to make her blame Damon and vampires in general for it is a low blow, especially since she fell for it.  But how can she be sure that this is the right choice?  She has been given the power of hundreds of witches to beat Klaus, and now to discover that the power is not to be used for that purpose?

But before she could speak, a light engulfs her and she sees what Damon and Bella have seen, and she sees what she was supposed to be.  It was not their job to tell the rest what She wanted.  It was hers.  But because of free will and because she had hardened her heart against what should be, Mother Nature could not get through to her. When she finally started asking the right questions, enough shifted in her heart that the connection, which should have existed all this time, was finally made.

When the Mother of all of them releases her, she gasps as she grabs the back of the chair.  So much that could have been, so much that she had fought against, was put into play to make her do exactly that.  And right now was _the_ choice.  She makes what she believes is the right one. “I accept.”

Damon and Bell grin at each other in relief.  The major players are set, now the minor ones in their group need to be told, and they can get to work.  They have such a short time, and the sooner Klaus is changed, the sooner it will be better for all of them.

With a look to Bonnie, the three start explaining what needs to be done.  Considering how the curse had been twisted, any vampire and wolf will do.  As they revealed this and other things, it becomes obvious that they all have been manipulated, but now this group is taking action against those who have tried to take away their free will.

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**Final count:  5,452 words.**

**Fairfarren~Wendy**

 

**AN:  Don't forget to check out my wordpress site, kittyinaz.com, for additional bonuses!**


	23. Diamonds From Black Dust

# Diamonds From Black Dust

 

**[ ](http://kittyinaz.files.wordpress.com/2014/01/va_hawkins_sc1.jpg)**

 

**Disclosure:  Twilight and Vampire Diaries are owned by their respective braianics that thought of it.**

**_Warning, graphic material and pics, NSFW!!!_ **

**Pre Edit Count -   2,451 Words**

_Song I listened to for this chapter: Darkside_ by Kelly Clarkson.

 

 

 

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_Previous:_

_When the Mother of all of them releases her, she gasps as she grabs the back of the chair.  So much that could have been, so much she had fought against was put into play to make her to do that.  And right now was the choice.  And she makes what she thinks is the right one, “I accept.”_

_Damon and Bell grin at each other, relieved.  The major players are set, now the minor ones in their group need to be told, and they can get to work.  They have such a short time, and the sooner Klaus is changed, the sooner it will be better for all of them._

_With a look to Bonnie, the three start explaining what needs to be done.  How the curse had been even been twisted, that any vampire and wolf will do.  As they revealed this and other things, it became obvious that they had all been manipulated, but now, this group is taking action against those that have tried to take their free will away._

_Now:_

 

 

 

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The following day has Bella opening her eyes with a gasp as her Mate slides inside of her. “Damon!” She arches her back in pleasure from his actions, needing to be as close to him as always.

He chuckles, the smirk on his face full of male pride that he has his woman gasping out his name and moving the way she is. He is ensuring that those in his house who question if she is his don’t have a single doubt, not with how fast he is making her cum. Not that he is worried, but there is that beast inside him that demands that all males know who he is…and that she is his Mate. It’s what makes him a dominant alpha male, though he often hides that part away to allow others to underestimate him time and time again.

Damon had woken up earlier, and taken the time to think over the events of the night before.  So far they had managed to get everyone on the path that had been asked of them.  The last one remaining was Bonnie, although Alaric and Caroline also will have their parts to play; Caroline’s was simple but so profound.  She had to trust Tyler and believe in him. This one action is enough to change so much, just as Bella’s one decision changed the world.

They can tell with the hints they have been given that this is not an easy task, but it will mean the difference in the long run.  It will allow him to embrace what Klaus calls the beast, or the dark side of the wolf.  And to win, all the wolves need to embrace this in themselves.  Tyler will be the leader allowing them to see what happens when Klaus turns them.  That it is not all bad, and even though Caroline is a vamp, she is smoking hot enough to make them jealous of Tyler, but in a good way.

As he traced his Mate’s lines on her body, he thought more about what the world is going to be like and the things that they can’t tell another soul, how so much depended on free will that it wasn’t even funny, not with how free will had done so much to hurt the world so far.  His eyes close thinking of the pain that he and his Mate had experienced on behalf of others for what is to come. The pain of knowing the past, some of the futures, and the pain of knowing what they will be putting others through to make the two of them understand what they are asking of others.

However, he also thought of that moment and the argument Bella had with Mother Earth…Gaia.  She argued that that while having Free Will is awesome, most creatures don’t know that there is a choice, and that is what Bella asked for in return for what She is wanting them to do.  Bella wanted to allow others the choice, saying that Gaia would be surprised with the outcome if she did.  Thankfully his Mate’s belief in all of them was backed up.   He smiled as his Mate’s body moved towards him in her sleep, his face gentle with his adoration of his Bella.

Soon his mind wanders back to what they need to do, and who all needs to do what to make the right future for them all appears, the one that would make these moments normal, not the times they have to fight tooth and nail.

While Bonnie was the most likely to deny the choice she had, she had a real reason to do so.  Damon was hurt by the pain he had caused her to feel, even if they had both been manipulated as their working together was something that would hurt their opponents. Instead they fostered the pain that was started and no one needed to interfere any longer. No, the two of them hurt each other often enough to make working together hard.

In fact, if it hadn’t been for Bella being present, to say that he would have been willing to work with others coming too late would be the world’s worst understatement.   For he had seen his future and it was not pleasant for any of them. Elijah sacrificed his Mate because he thought that Damon and Elena deserved each other. His failure to save her at the ritual had made him feel unworthy and incapable of being her Mate when it had been part of the spell cast on them that he wouldn’t feel her as a Mate would. In that future, Elijah had caused so much pain that he didn’t blame her for not trusting him, which was a huge shame because Elena never seemed to be able to be happy. Even he had given her up trying to save her.

Then his mind turned to the other fate, one as bad as his and Elena’s had been. Bella had been Edward’s wife and they’d had a child, and she had died giving birth to that mutant. She had turned their entire world upside down with the knowledge of humans being able to bear the children of Cold Ones. It had been a well-kept secret because of what had happened afterwards. An evil man had kept the secret so he could breed his own soldiers, but he **_had_** kept it from the Volturi. Bella and her allies had almost gone to war with the leadership of the Volturi over it, but the Volturi had backed down…only so they could use the information for themselves.

They would take women from their feeding groups and impregnate them.  The mothers would die a messy death, no one caring enough to change them.  By the time the rest of the covens had heard about it, it was too late. Many of the Volturi children were grown by then, and they were very powerful.  They had in fact stepped up the process when they found out that the mixture of Human and Cold One made for powerful children who were able to go out into the sun without exposing what they are.  With the fact that the children grew at an astonishing rate, and were taught to revere the so-called “purebloods,” aka the Volturi, they were especially feared.

The entire world fell to the Volturi, first the human race, and then the rest of the Supes.  It had not been a good future, and the Race of Man had quickly become treated like cattle, with farms to try to refine the blood.  This had resulted in wars that ravaged the landscape and almost killed their world because the actual Supes who were _not_ Cold Ones hated the idea of being ruled by them.

That entire future, and all the devastation and misery it caused and contained, had been avoided by free will:  Bella’s free will.  She had gotten angry about Edward leaving her, instead of despondent.  She had used their money, and everything that they had set up to pay her off, to advance herself.  She had written up their story for others to read, and it had become a hit and brought her even more money, to the extent that she could do as she wished.  All this came about because she chose to become angry and not become what she called “a zombie” in that other future.

 

[ ](http://kittyinaz.files.wordpress.com/2014/02/damon-33.png)

 

Damon sighs and continues to trace his Mate’s body with an awe that most women would give anything to have directed to them, and he grins, glad his Mate is a fiery one. He kisses her shoulder, then his grin widens when she moans in her sleep, and he can smell her arousal.  She had told him that his touch is able to do this to her, but he is amazed anew every time it happens.  He just cannot explain the love he has for this woman, and that she loves him too with a fervor that he thought only came in fairy tales.

But the opposite is true also; she affects him just as much. A casual brush of her hand on him makes goose bumps rise; her lean body glancing by his causes him to hunger for her with a primal need that often surprises him. And he wouldn’t want to do a thing to change it.  He loves it.  He never thought he could love like this, and have the woman he loves love him back with the same passion.  But Bella meets and sometimes even surpasses his own passion for her.

So with this in mind, he checks his Mate and, finding that she is more than ready, slides into her to allow them to become one. He can’t help but close his eyes as his cock slides into her silky walls, knowing that she will be this tight to him each and every time, but he is also glad that they had enjoyed such a huge lovemaking session right before he changed her.  It allowed her to loosen up slightly, just enough to let him do this to awaken his carissima.

As he slides all the way in to the hilt, she wakes and moans his name, and he watches her as he slides in and out smoothly, slowly. There is no reason to hurry. His Mate is already coming to her height quickly, but he watches, setting his jaw as he feels the beginning of her orgasm. He is determined to continue a couple more times, wanting to see his favorite sight in the world, the sight of his Mate coming apart in his arms, because of him.

They continue in this manner for a couple of hours, Damon making love to his Mate, moving slowly to make sure it lasts longer for them both, making sure she knows how much he loves and adores her, both biting at the other during climaxes, needing that connection.  But Damon is slowly vamping out, his need for his Mate letting his own beast out and allowing _him_ to mate with his love as well.  The combination of both sides of Damon coming forth, needing that connection with her, is a visual that only Bella will see.

Bella loves every moment, watching her Mate, her other half, with devotion in her eyes as well as her love for him.  She understands why he needs her; she needed him after seeing the devastation that could have occurred if she had not gotten so angry at Edward.  This wonderful man would have been at the forefront of the fighting, and as she had finally been killed by many Cold Ones overcoming her, her shield failing at the critical mass on her along with the many gifts leveled at her all at once, he also died on that same battlefield, overwhelmed, and as much as they could tell, they died at the same exact moment.

Neither had seen the other, neither had known their other half was only meters away and if they had turned just the right angles, their eyes would have met.   But, then, only Damon had even known of the possibility of a Mate, and he had thought that he had thrown away his chance so many times.  He had been so cold and angry, fighting only for the right to do as he wished. He had wielded power that had eaten away at him, power never meant to be used without his other half working in conjunction with him.

Alas, in that future, there had seemed to be so little happiness. They can understand why Gaia had called to Her children to stop with the pettiness, and pull themselves together against the true enemies.  And to help them, She gave all of them a chance to gain the true reward, someone to love them unconditionally, the other half of their soul.

So with that future in both minds, they drove toward a final orgasm together, needing the connection yet again, and in tandem both strike at the other’s neck and drink.  They need to be one with the other, to wash away that pain and suffering, to remind each other of the fact that they are here, and neither will leave the other to a fate that had been thwarted.

When sated, Damon pulls his Mate to him as rolls to the side, and she rests half on him, their legs tangled as they both pant from their joining.  He places kisses on her hand that he holds, proud of what he has done. What male wouldn’t, knowing they had not only pleased their mate for hours this morning, but that it had been a continuation of hours of lovemaking from the night before?

 

[ ](http://kittyinaz.files.wordpress.com/2014/01/womans-fingers-trailing-down-a-male-body.jpg)

 

Reading his emotions easily, Bella laughs at him. “Don’t let that head of yours get too big, Damon.” Her free hand traces lines on his chest, amused by the reaction of his body, even though they had just finished making love for hours and both their bodies needed a rest.

He angles his head to look down on his Mate. “Why not?  Tell me of another who could have made you come that many times in their arms.” The smirk is there, but the look in his eye is serious, he will tear apart any male she could mention.

She just laughs as she gathers herself together.  “Good thing I learned to take showers at night, or we never would get out of this room.” She sits up in the bed, still touching her mate, and he her.

 

[ ](http://kittyinaz.files.wordpress.com/2014/02/damon-20.jpg)

 

His smirk gets bigger as he rests his hands behind his head, his look screaming alpha male. “And the issue with that is?” He watches amused as she trails her hand down his chest in a movement that she is not fully aware of doing.

“Ugh, men!”

 

[ ](http://kittyinaz.files.wordpress.com/2014/01/black-and-white-couple-kiss-love-sex-favim-500x350_large.jpg)

 

In a lightning maneuver, he springs up, rolls over her, kissing her and chuckling as her body responds to his.  Rolling her back on top as he allows his eyes to trail down her body, he offers grandly, “I am quite willing and ready to do what your body is asking for, but are you, Carissima?”  He nuzzles her neck and then looks up into her face.

She moans and pushes him off her. As she stretches and gets out of bed, she replies, “I think you have spent plenty of time proving that already this morning alone, Damon.  But we have a house full of guests, and we need to figure out what to do with your brother.” She sighs, not wanting to deal with any of it but acknowledging that this is the price they have to pay to have the right future.

He falls back from being on his side admiring his Mate’s body as she stretched, his arm falling across his eyes. “Ugh.” His brother, who for some reason had lost all the reason he ever had last night. “Maybe he drank a rabid bunny?” He opens one eye to gage her reaction.

She grins down at him as she heads to the closet to gather clothes for them both. She grabs herself a button up black shirt and jeans, and grabs for Damon his own signature black and blue.  She tosses them to him as he walks in, and he watches her as she dresses, shaking his head. “You know how hard it is to concentrate on things knowing what’s under those clothes?” With a groan he drinks in the sight of her clothing covering up all the creamy skin he had spent time rememorizing just this morning.

 

[ ](http://kittyinaz.files.wordpress.com/2014/02/damon-27.jpg)

 

She lifts an eyebrow. “I know we are both horny as hell most of the time, but is there a time you ever stop?” Her own gaze is admiring as he raises an eyebrow at her choices. He then slides the shirt onto his body that had made women drool in the past, and reaches for his pants slowly to allow her a few more seconds to admire his body.

He laughs and waves at his body as he pulls the pants up. “Male, Carissima.  That whole thing about how we think about it so much?  True.  Imagine this body, at its prime, forever…  And with a hot-ass mate like you for me to love?  Yeah, I think about it constantly.” He then buttons the pants, his eyebrows wiggling at her at the fact they both are going commando, but as she had told him last night, she needed to go shopping since he can’t seem to resist tearing her underwear off of her.  He had just smirked at her, and murmured in her ear, “Maybe that was the plan, mia carissima?”

She tries to give him a stern look, but a giggle escapes and he pulls her into his arms. “I can feel your amusement, Carissima.  Plus how can you be exasperated with me?” He wraps himself around her and starts chewing at her neck. A full out laugh comes out of her as she turns in his arms and looks up at his twinkling eyes, full of mirth.  The fact that this man is hers, and that no one can ever separate them, is enough to make her thrilled.

The two of them stare at each other as they share in their bond, the immense love that they have for each other and a million other similar emotions bouncing back and forth. Everything is noted and acknowledged by the super brains that they have, but in truth, it wouldn’t matter. Each was it for the other. Even without the mythical bond they share, the two of them have found a love where the only thing the bond did was point out the other one to them.

Then with a sigh, and a promise sent through the bond, they separate and go about getting ready.  As Bella said, they have a full house, and Damon needs to get some blood in him for Bella.

They head downstairs, and Damon pauses by the keyboard to open the house up, and then walks past Bella in the kitchen to where the freezer was added to the wine room.  He grabs a couple bags and is drinking one as he comes into the room.

Battery acid is the best way he could describe the blood, but knowing that he sustains his Mate by drinking it enables him to force it down. And, because he loves her and doesn’t want her to feel how much he hates it, he has learned to put it in the back of his mind.

He helps her make taquitos for breakfast, all while he drinks down what he knows they need, sighing in relief when he is done. He can also feel her own hunger rising, and it only drives his instincts to care for her.

Making sure everything is on warm, he takes her outside to have her drink from him, since he knows she is still embarrassed by others watching her drinking so much from him.  She knows it is because of being a newborn, but still, the out of control way she gets sometimes bothers her.  The relief they both feel as she drinks from him is palpable, and he strokes her hair as she drinks what she needs. His own eyes close in ecstasy of being able to provide for her needs and feeling his own blood making its way through her body.

Jasper steps outside, and the sight of Damon feeding Bella plus the emotions radiation off them make him back into the kitchen in a hurry, where he bumps into Elijah.

The elder vampire lifts an eyebrow, then sees what Jasper had walked out into and grins. “I told you she has to drink from him, and he has to drink to sustain them both.  Later, he will drink more, but when she drinks from him, he will need to drink from her.  Right now, she is a newborn, and he is taking care of her.  Rightly.” His eyes glow for a moment as he looks forward to when he will be able to do the same for his Mate.  He can feel the satisfaction from Bella and Damon, and even though it is an echo of what they feel, it is enough to make him eager for the same.

Jasper just shakes his head.  “I really don’t understand how that works, or even how his body adds so fast whatever it is that allows her to drink it from him.“ He waves to the bags in the trash. The blood still bright enough to allow them to see that they had been freshly drained.

Elijah goes into the wine cellar to grab himself a bag and a couple for his descendant.  “We keep telling you, magic.  I suspect it governs you more than you guess.  If you had gold eyes drinking animals, I wonder if that was the magic allowing you to hide your true self. How have you felt since you went back to drinking from humans?” He lifts an eyebrow as he hands him the bags.

Jasper answers him as he pulls the tube out, chuckling with the memory of when Damon had joked about it being a Capri Sun for vampires with built in straws.  “Free.  The difference between human and animal blood is unexplainable.  I used to purposely slip when the hunger became too much.” He cannot understand someone choosing it.  He had no choice; if he wanted to be with Alice, who he had thought was his mate, he had to drink the horrid stuff.

Elijah stares out at the window at the two. “I suspect you cannot endure on a pure animal diet, look at Stefan as an example.  He needs to learn the control to be able to drink from humans. I am thinking that the diet is affecting so many of his reactions, and is maybe one of the ways that had been used to manipulate him.” Or at least he hopes so for Elena’s sake.

She has given into their bond, and the joy he had felt last night as they both had admitted it will live in his memory for the rest of his life. But even though she had acknowledged the bond, the sorrow his Mate feels at losing even the friendship with Stefan is enough to make him wish otherwise for her sake.

They both glance at each other, then back out the couple who are now just resting in each other’s arms.  Bella had carefully cleaned her bite, and then placed her head on his shoulder, and he continued to run his hands through her hair. The two were utterly content.

Elijah nods toward them. “They are what make it all something to strive for.  Knowing that our Mates have been being killed for all these years makes sense of the fact that every time I felt a pull, it was for the doppelgangers.” But he suspects that Elena is, and has always been, his true Mate.  Otherwise he would feel the bond with Katherine and that is one woman he is glad to have washed from his hands.

Jasper chuckles. “I would have to say that, out of the ones we know about, you have a real winner.”  He shakes his head, remembering everything he’s been told about the prior doppelgangers.  Though he had suggested that if it’s a doppelganger’s blood that allows the change, they might want to gather Katherine and have her donate to the cause, too.

Elijah nods. “I know.  And I am willing to do whatever it takes to keep her.” His hands unconsciously fist as he thinks of what all could happen.  He would walk through fire for her; it would be the least he would do to keep her.

The two glance at each other and nod. They then gather the breakfast dishes and head outside, knowing the rest of the house is already stirring.

 

 

 

* * *

**Final count:  4,223 words.**

**Fairfarren~Wendy**


	24. A Moment of Love

#  A Moment of Love

 

 

**[ ](http://kittyinaz.files.wordpress.com/2014/02/196.jpg) **

 

 

**Disclosure:  Twilight and Vampire Diaries are owned by their respective braianics that thought of it.**

**Pre Edit Count -   2,095 Words**

_Song I listened to for this chapter: Sweet Disposition_ by The Temper Trap.

 

 

 

* * *

_Previous:_

_Elijah nods toward them. “They are what make it all something to strive for.  Knowing that our Mates have been being killed for all these years makes sense of the fact that every time I felt a pull, it was for the doppelgangers.” But he suspects that Elena is, and has always been, his true Mate.  Otherwise he would feel the bond with Katherine and that is one woman he is glad to have washed from his hands._

_Jasper chuckles. “I would have to say that, out of the ones we know about, you have a real winner.”  He shakes his head, remembering everything he’s been told about the prior doppelgangers.  Though he had suggested that if it’s a doppelganger’s blood that allows the change, they might want to gather Katherine and have her donate to the cause, too._

_Elijah nods. “I know.  And I am willing to do whatever it takes to keep her.” His hands unconsciously fist as he thinks of what all could happen.  He would walk through fire for her; it would be the least he would do to keep her._

_The two glance at each other and nod. They then gather the breakfast dishes and head outside, knowing the rest of the house is already stirring._

_Now:_

* * *

The late morning light peeps through the clouds that have been passing by quickly, throwing shadows on the ground as they move overhead.  This makes the morning cooler than usual, allowing for Bella’s love of a fire to be met by her Mate. He shows off his skills as he lights it and keeps a small amount of power over it until the logs catch.  He just smirks to his Mate as he feels her amusement, but knows she appreciates the little things he does for her like this.

 

[ ](http://kittyinaz.files.wordpress.com/2014/04/ian-grinning.png)

 

The group from last night is sitting around having just finishing the breakfast that Bella and Damon had made earlier.  The vampires in the group had appear a little later than the rest as they needed to raid the stores of blood. The first matter brought up is about how to get more blood for them all.  Housing so many blood drinkers is draining Damon’s stores, and he needs all he can have for his Mate.   With Bella being related to both of the ancient vampires present, it was amazing how a few phone calls had solved something Damon usually spent a night working out which hospital to raid.  Figures.

On the other side of the table from the Mated couple, Bonnie sits watching everyone, and is just amazed with what she is connected to now that she had accepted her fate.  She also is amazed at how much history revolves around Bella, and how her one choice had made for a much better outcome for them all.  She is so grateful that this fiery woman had done what she had, and she knows how much she owes her.  So, for the first step, she is trying to change her opinion of Damon.  Though, now that she is not looking for the bad, she is finding it easy to notice the caring way he has, even for those who are not his Mate.

 

[ ](http://kittyinaz.files.wordpress.com/2014/04/bonnie-sacrifice.jpg)

 

She turns her attention to Klaus, and then Elijah.  Elijah had been rattled by the knowledge that their own mother, who had made them this way, is now trying to kill them to end the race.  It was plain to see that Elijah’s view on family had him trusting family members, even with the examples of his father and Klaus’s supposed betrayals in mind.  He had been shocked that Klaus had daggered every member to keep them safe from their father.

And since Klaus was never supposed to have been cursed, the Other Side had everyone in the Supe world believing that he should not be uncursed when now it is so obvious that his being cursed is unbalancing the world.  Why else would there be doppelgangers?   If nature had not abided him, it would never have made the solution to his curse available to him so often. And that it had been done so often is the clue.

It had to wait until the world could abide the doppelgangers again.  Elena is a weight on the world of nature.  So many things are balanced on her narrow shoulders, things that Katherine had not been suitable for and had run from.  But that is what makes this doppelganger different from the previous ones; she cares.  And this is why she is Elijah’s Mate.  This is the woman he had to wait so many lifetimes for because she was meant to be perfect for him.  Bella being his daughter was to reward him for the faith he has carried all these long years.  Elijah was another one who had made many crucial decisions that had helped to prevent the destruction of the world.

Bonnie sighs as she thinks of the other bane of their existence, Katherine.  She had been a waste; she had everything and threw it away on multiple occasions, running away from her problems instead of being like Elena and staying to solve them. Luckily, Katherine had the child who Elena is descended from, and it was also fortunate that Elena had been raised by the Gilberts who had loved her.  It changed her enough that she is not like Katherine, and instead is willing to do what is needed.  The bad part is that everyone around her loves her and doesn’t want her to die, so they fight for her even when she tries to what she thinks is right.

Now that they know what is going on, they are making plans to ensure that Klaus will have some of her blood available for the few werewolves left to change.  His blood will settle eventually, and then he will not have to worry about having the blood of a doppelganger. But since they need as many of the wolves as they can get for what will be coming, they have to use Elena’s to transition the wolves until Klaus’s blood settles.

Elijah had volunteered to take Elena to a room earlier, and he can get the blood kits while being able to monitor her closely enough to make sure she will be ok.  He also had volunteered his blood to turn her instead of anyone else’s.  After their talk yesterday, he would not allow even a hint of anyone else’s blood in his Mate’s body.

 

[ ](http://kittyinaz.files.wordpress.com/2014/04/elena-1.jpg)

 

Klaus had smirked when Elena had agreed, and had watched as his brother’s Mate had finally reacted to the Mating call between the two. He had also watched his brother’s face when he wasn’t looking, and saw that feeling of relief he had.

While Elena then knew that they were Mated, she wasn’t fully aware of the changes that were going on because of that Mating bond, but she did physically relax whenever she got closer to Elijah. And when they left to go draw the blood, with the way Elijah was acting, he was obviously in mate-guarding mode.

Bella and Damon had looked at each other and smirked in that similar way.  Then Damon had held her close and made sure she had finished eating, then they had just snuggled into each other while they talked and listened. That is what they are still doing now, Damon rubbing her back while he listens to Jasper talking about his experiences.  The whole picture of them is nothing short of perfect, the love they have for each other evident in every aspect, and every movement of the two.  There is also no doubt that they can be deadly together.

Klaus sighs as he watches them, and hopes that he will find a Mate of his own in the cards, and vows to do what he can to help them all.  He doesn’t want to be alone, so as he settles down with everyone, he treats them to a view of his true self. They can now see that he is a normal bloke, and they have relaxed.  Although he really does want to discover what the witch and the Mated pair know.  It is something makes them all shudder when they think of it, and the Mated pair holds each other even closer.  Anything that affects them that much must be horrifying to say the least, and something he will join them in making sure it never happens.  But he cannot help if he doesn’t know.

He looks at the fire for a minute, thinking over the things they have told so far. Klaus is not too surprised to find out that mother dearest has been trying to kill them for thousands of years.  It fit with the information he had learned when he killed her.  He had done it in a fit of anger over the fact that she had dared to curse her own offspring by knowingly keeping him in physical pain every single full moon; that she was basically punished him for her cheating on her husband.

His eyes narrow as he remembers discovering that their own father was hunting his children, which is another reason Klaus had kept them all daggered until he can figure out a way to kill him. He knew his siblings might hate him, but having them there to hate him is preferable to them being dead.  Now, however, the easiest way to kill his father was going to be an option since as a hybrid Michael can’t kill him. He can fight him man to man – something he had wished to do after all the times he had seen his father abuse one of them.

Knowing what they do about Mates, Finn and Sage would be helpful fighting him along with Damon and Bella. They may hate him, but even they cannot deny that someone hunting them is not going to be good. He really cannot see them trying to help Michael.

His eyes flick to Bella and Damon.  That the two in front of him are Elemental Masters, and Shields, well, he has seen what that combination can do.  Klaus is quite impressed, and wonders why Damon had never showed signs of it before.  His mind turns over ideas, and he finally asks him, “Damon, why was there no clue that you were an Elemental Master?”

The man in question looks over, smirks, and informs him, “I know what happens to those who show their cards too early.  People like me take them out.  So I made sure to keep it all close to me, and only let a very few know.  For that matter, the fact that so many people didn’t know saved a lot of their asses.  Stefan is the only one besides Sage who I didn’t kill for knowing about it.” He holds his Mate close, trying to keep the amusement in their bond from showing so much.

Not caring, Bella snorts at his explanation. “The real reason is that he likes to have secret cards up his sleeves.  His strength is known, too many people have seen him do things he shouldn’t be able to.  But he was vulnerable, and the Elemental thing was something he could pull out if he needed to wow people.” Then her face fell, “Unfortunately, he could be overwhelmed with it.  Someone on the Other Side was a little too free with the information, and he could have been killed.” She rests her head on his chest. His arms come around her as he murmurs into her ear about how they will both be more careful, and that they are together now.

Shock evident on their faces, the rest of them look at Bella and Damon in horror at the slight hint of how terrible things could be from what they and the witch have seen. Damon informs them, “We were shown how powerful free will is.  Bella changed the world with a choice, and we were shown how it would have ended if she had chosen otherwise.  It was not pretty.”  He himself shudders as he pulls his Mate closer. No, that future is not one that will happen easily, not if he and his Mate have anything to say.

But it worries them that they both have the powers that they have, and that they can use the full strength of each other’s powers, too. This is not as normal as it might seem for Mates, but then, Mother told them that there really haven’t been such powerful Mates before. There had been no need for them. 

 

[ ](http://kittyinaz.files.wordpress.com/2014/04/alaric-saltzman.png)

 

Eying them, Alaric asks, “What good am I really going to be to this group?” It is something he has worried about since they started talking about the roles. 

 

 [](http://kittyinaz.files.wordpress.com/2014/04/ajeremy.png)

 

Jeremy nods. “As much as I wish otherwise, I have the same question.” He gives them a slight smile, bothered by what he as a human can do when the cards are on the table.  But he wants to help; he feels the need to help.

Damon gives a little laugh. “Jeremy, your future is not as a human, no, you will become supernatural yourself, one of a few.  And Alaric, you will be the best trainer for Jeremy before we take over.  There is so much going on that everyone present will have a huge part to play in the future.  There is always a choice, and Witchy here is supposed to guide us so that we know if there is a choice outside those we are considering.”

Neither he nor Bella gives any indication of what the future held, but Jeremy is a Hunter; he hunts those Vampires who are not doing what they should be doing.  All the Gilberts have been part of this group, but now Jeremy will be able to help protect Bonnie, and he will help to defend others in their group.  And all of them will work to prevent Alaric from having to deal with becoming the Vampire Hunter he was turned into in the future, which caused Elena’s death to kill him.

 

 [](http://kittyinaz.files.wordpress.com/2014/04/klaus.jpg)

 

Sighing, Klaus rubs his face and leans forward. “So you know the ritual is supposed to have me kill a wolf and a vampire.  What solutions do we have to this?” He is not looking forward to this part since he really would like to not have to kill someone who doesn’t deserve to die.

Her mind preoccupied with all the things she is learning, Klaus’s words has Bonnie looking up. “Jules, and there is a vampire who causes more issues than he will ever solve.  If Damon and Bella leave now, they can catch him in Roanoke and bring him back in time for the ritual.  Klaus, you will need to get Jules.  I will get with your Witch and conduct the spell myself.”  She shakes her head as information is being presented to her in an ongoing rush, and she can feel changes happening in her body as she adjusts to the new powers flowing into her.  These two are close, and Mother Earth has indicated that they would work for the ritual.

Bella frowns and is quickly in front of Bonnie. She asks, “Are you alright?” She peers into Bonnie’s eyes and can see the pain reflected there.  While Bonnie deserves some punishment for the way she treated Damon and even her in the past, Bella’s heart doesn’t like to see anyone in pain.

She smiles and nods at the woman in front of her who has already done so much and is willing to do so much more to keep the world as it is just for the love of the man sitting there watching, his adoring gaze on her. “It is unreal.  No matter what, I was meant to be the Gateway for something, and I would so much rather be this Gateway than one to the Other Side.  But until everything settles, I will be in pain as my body changes to accept the power.” She shrugs, accepting the pain as her penance for not doing as she was meant to do.  She had learned that if this had been a perfect world, she would have had the chance to gain this power slowly, but there is no time to do this gently.

Bella searches her eyes, and asks, “You willingly chose this, right?”  That is Bella’s thing, if free will is a choice, then she wishes to make sure those affected know it is their choice.

Smiling, Bonnie nods her head in assurance. “Completely.  And not just because of the alternatives, which are a huge thing to take, but because it just feels right.  It feels like what my Gram would want.  She would be so disappointed in me for how I took my pain out on a race who, most of the time, have no choice.  They wake up, they crave blood, so they attack.  They don’t know any different. I somehow had it in my mind there was a choice, and they chose to be sadistic and selfish.” An example of how wrong she was is right before her;  Bella is nothing like that.

A chuckle makes both of them look at Damon, “And I didn’t help by being myself, selfish and sadistic.” He shrugs a shoulder.  He really doesn’t care.  His Mate understands him, and the more he thinks about it, is there anyone else he wants to know him?  The only thing that caring about others has taught him is that he will be hurt.

Bonnie looks at him, and her gaze softens. “Damon, you may think Stefan is the good brother, but I saw so much good in you, too. I just choose not to acknowledge it.  It was easier to hate you and cause you as much pain as I could.  I am sorry.” Asking for forgiveness from the one she has actively tried to kill so many times is at once one of the hardest and easiest things she has ever done.

Smiling at her Mate, Bella tells him, “Hush, Mr. I-Can’t-Take-A-Hint.” She can feel the way the apology is affecting him, and before he says anything in his normally sarcastic way, she wishes him to take a moment.

He holds his hands up in surrender, commenting in an aside to Klaus, “One time you ignore someone’s request for their name, and they never forget.” He grins at his Mate and Bonnie, making them laugh.

Unable to help himself, Klaus chuckles.  “Don’t get me mixed up in this, Mate.  I don’t need woman problems on top of everything else.”  He leans away from the picked upon Elemental Master as the rest of the people at the table laugh at Damon.

Which reminds Bella, and she turns to stand up and with her hands on her hips. “That reminds me.  Where are you on undaggering your family?” Her eyebrow goes up as she faces her Uncle and waits for an answer.

He sighs, leaning back in his chair, his head drops back. “They are at the house and I am ready to do it anytime.”  Then he looks up at her. “You do know they are going to try to kill me?” He tries to give her puppy eyes, wanting her to understand his position.

Elijah’s voice is heard as he carries Elena out to the patio, arranging her on a chaise by the fire Damon had started earlier.  “And that is why we both will be there, and I contacted Sage.  She should be here tonight.  That will help with some of the resentment, and I will help diffuse the rest.  Then we can integrate them into this time period.  Kol and Finn will need haircuts and changes of clothing.  Rebekah will just need new clothing.” He and Elena had been talking about this as they had drawn her blood for this session, and he had exchanged blood for their first time.  But Elena had brought up some of the things that will need to be done for the siblings.

Klaus sighs, then nods his head. “A consequence for every choice, eh?” As he slouches in the seat, he is no longer the proud Original, but one showing the weight of the decisions he made to protect his family, and how much he knows they will hate him for those choices.

Feeling bad for the Original after having seen everything he has done, Bonnie shakes her head. “If you explain about your father and mother, with Elijah and Sage backing you up, they will understand.  Hate you, yes, but they will understand.  Your siblings and you are very close.  There is very little they wouldn’t do the same as you in a given situation.” Klaus had gone from a very sensitive young man to a brutal killer that they have heard of, all because of his parents.  They had managed to make the man that he could have been hide himself away.   But she knows that because of the choices that he is making now, he won’t be alone for very long.

With a look at Elijah, Klaus slowly nods.  He brings them back to the first obstacle they need to get over, his change. “Is there anything we need to do in addition to this vampire and wolf?” He needs to make sure everything is ready, so that when he undaggers his family, there will be nothing taking him away from them until the ritual.

Bonnie’s eyes turn white, and then she stares back at them. “To have all of us there.  She doesn’t know if anything will happen, but there is no reason to have any of us not be in attendance.  There is so much riding on this first step that no one should want to take a chance that something will happen.” Her voice is firm, and they recognize that she is stepping up, taking her place in their group.

Damon nods, and catching Elijah’s eyes, adds, “We also have the visitor downstairs, and Stefan to deal with.” He reminds them, not wanting any of it to be forgotten.  Loose ends make things happen come back to bite them in the ass later.

From where he had been sitting quietly, trying to make sense of everyone, Jasper shakes his head. “If I am going to lead the motley crew, well, just leave Demetri to me.  There’s a lot we can talk about, and I’ll make sure he’s with us by the time he leaves.” The last is said with a note of finality in his voice.

Standing behind his Mate, a hand resting on her shoulder, Elijah agrees. “That would work.  And Stefan…well, I say to leave him where he is until after the ritual.  With so much riding on it, we don’t need him making things worse just because he can.  If it comes down to it, I will compel him.  Katherine is still around here somewhere, and if any of us can catch her, we can throw them both in the vault and compel them to stay there until we can deal with them.  They can amuse each other.” He nods as he thinks through it all. Klaus is with them, and there should be no others who could get through their compulsion, so it will be a way to get them out of their way.

Chuckling, Damon tells them as he pulls his Mate back into his lap, “Fitting.  She can be where she was supposed to be along with the man she preferred.” He nuzzles Bella’s neck as the group continues to make plans around them.

 

 

 

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**Final count:  3,972 words.**

**Fairfarren~Wendy**


	25. Why Don’t We Go

#  Why Don’t We Go

 

 

**[ ](http://kittyinaz.files.wordpress.com/2014/01/doody-david-falling-spring-falls-allegheny-county-va.jpg) **

 

**Disclosure:  Twilight and Vampire Diaries are owned by their respective braianics that thought of it.**

**Pre Edit Count -   2,585 Words**

_Song I listened to for this chapter: Somewhere Only We Know_ by Keane.

 

* * *

_Previous:_

_Damon nods, and catching Elijah’s eyes, adds, “We also have the visitor downstairs, and Stefan to deal with.” He reminds them, not wanting any of it to be forgotten.  Loose ends make things happen come back to bite them in the ass later._

_From where he had been sitting quietly, trying to make sense of everyone, Jasper shakes his head. “If I am going to lead the motley crew, well, just leave Demetri to me.  There’s a lot we can talk about, and I’ll make sure he’s with us by the time he leaves.” The last is said with a note of finality in his voice._

_Standing behind his Mate, a hand resting on her shoulder, Elijah agrees. “That would work.  And Stefan…well, I say to leave him where he is until after the ritual.  With so much riding on it, we don’t need him making things worse just because he can.  If it comes down to it, I will compel him.  Katherine is still around here somewhere, and if any of us can catch her, we can throw them both in the vault and compel them to stay there until we can deal with them.  They can amuse each other.” He nods as he thinks through it all. Klaus is with them, and there should be no others who could get through their compulsion, so it will be a way to get them out of their way._

_Chuckling, Damon tells them as he pulls his Mate back into his lap, “Fitting.  She can be where she was supposed to be along with the man she preferred.” He nuzzles Bella’s neck as the group continues to make plans around them._

_Now:_

* * *

[ ](http://kittyinaz.files.wordpress.com/2014/04/tumblr_miy923pvxe1rlzm22o1_500.jpg)

 

Soon after the meeting they all split off to do what they need to, some leaving the plantation and others staying to prepare for the ritual in another way.  Bella and Damon head to their room to grab a few clothes since earlier Bella had commented wryly that they would need them; so much of their clothing ends up ripped off each other.

Damon only smirks as he whisks her away to their room, and just to prove a point, he manages to undress them _without_ ripping their clothing.  Then without much pause, he quickly begins ravaging his Mate.  He leans her over the chair in the room and is soon hilt deep inside his Mate. As both begin feeding off each other’s pleasure, he listens to her moans of pleasure as he shows her why this position is so popular.

From what they had discovered from Elijah and Klaus, the need to be with each other sexually, or at least by each other’s side, would abate after a while, but Sage and Finn had often disappeared for weeks and even when they came back, they were still insatiable for each other.  And separating?  Klaus told them, “Get used to it.  Finn didn’t even go hunting without her at his side.  It made it harder to save him, since for some reason Father had it out for them, and had tried to kill him a couple of times before I daggered him.”

Alas for them, they didn’t have the option of leaving for weeks, so every chance is taken to deal with the urge they each have to take the other. Bella hated the need to stake their mutual claim even in front of the others; it is a strong desire they both have to show the unmated ones that they were taken.   For Damon, there is a strong, hard to resist desire to do that, to Mate her in front of any males he thinks wants her, and unfortunately for him, he can smell when a male becomes aroused around her.  When that happens, it is a drive for him, and that is often when they leave.

 

[ ](http://kittyinaz.files.wordpress.com/2014/04/man-and-woman-2.jpg)

 

Bella, though, is just as bad this time, and turns the tables on him. After they orgasm she has him under her on the bed and she rides him hard.  She growls, her vamp face comes to the fore, and he can feel her need to claim him. He is confused until he hears the word _Barbie_ come out of her growls, and cannot help it as he laughs at his Mate.  Though now he understands more of what she goes through when he is doing this to her.

She lifts an eyebrow, and when he doesn’t answer her as quickly as she wishes, she lifts herself up to the point he is almost out of her, and pauses.  She makes it clear that he will not be getting any more until he answers her.

 

[ ](http://kittyinaz.files.wordpress.com/2014/04/damon-20.jpg)

 

He groans, trying to seat himself back in her, and she allows none of it. His head flies back on the bed and he closes his eyes for the second it takes to allow him to gain control.  He finally tells her, “There is no one but you, Bella.  Barbie, as you call her, was a fuck and feed.  Nothing else.  You are everything to me.” He caresses her face, his voice soft as he finishes.  This is the woman that means the world to him, no other can even come close.

With that, she falls back on him, and they both moan with pleasure.   Damon makes no move to be dominant as he normally is, content to watch his Mate as she rides him, amazed as always that she accepted him as her Mate. The most he does is caress her face, and she bends closer for them to kiss.

Leaning back from his kiss to feel him go deeper inside of her, Bella is lost in the feeling of Damon as she slides up and down his cock, his thick, perfect cock.  It is just right for her, and she loves the feeling of it moving in and out of her. She is aware that he is watching her, and she arches her back when his hands move from her hips to her breasts to cup them and then tease her nipples.

She loves the fact that he loves all of her, and it is often a testament to vampire healing that she doesn’t have marks all over her body from his mouth.  He loves to suck on her neck, breasts, anywhere.  And he loves to bite her, but then she loves to bite him too, and when they both bite…heaven.  It is often the only answer to the feeling that they both have.

No matter what she does to stave off their orgasms, there is no stopping the fire as it rises in both their bodies. She collapses on him, spent with how hard and fast she was moving, but she had felt this undeniable need to prove to any female that Damon is hers.

Damon chuckles at her as he lifts her hair from her body to help her cool off.  No matter how cool it might be, when you work that hard, even they as vampires will sweat from it.  He kisses her neck, and feeling the need to bite, starts nuzzling a spot to prepare it.

She moans as she feels him readying her, then when he bites, she closes her eyes.  Amazingly, she for once didn’t need to bite, but then she _has_ been drinking from him a lot. This is the first time he has done it alone.  She didn’t feel anything but contentment in being able to provide for her Mate when he needs it.

Damon swallows, her blood pure ambrosia to him.  He, as always, is mindful of his Mate, but he sighs as he feels the need slowly ease, then when it is gone, he cleans her neck to make sure he didn’t miss anything.

Damon is often shocked when he notices how clean they both are with their bites.  One thing about their kind is the messiness of their feedings, especially when they kill their victims.  But, for the two of them, it is as if their blood is too precious for any of it to be wasted with messy bites.

Content, Damon leans back. The hunger he had been feeling creeping up on him, even though he had consumed the blood earlier, is now gone. He then looks down at Bella and grins. “So, we always rip our clothes?” He rests one arm behind him as he looks down at his Mate, his other arm around her as they relax in their post-coital bliss.

She drops her head on his chest with a groan.  “Really, Damon?  You just had to prove that point?” She knows he does, this is just Damon, but at the same time, she loves to tease him to keep him from getting too cocky.

He laughs as he bestows a kiss on her head. “Of course, Carissima. With you, always. I have a need to prove how worthy of a Mate I am for you.  It _did_ take me a lot of work just to get that name from you.” He teases her about the whole ‘picking on him’ episode from earlier.

She snorts and then covers her mouth as Damon laughs at her.  He kisses her head as he sighs. “I suppose we need to pack and get on the road.  The more miles we can put between our trysts, the better off everyone will be.” He knows she is not happy with all the people here, but with the witches coming in to spell the house, this is one of the safest places for them all to be.  Even Jenna will be coming here tonight to sleep and will remain until the ritual.  It makes him more determined to build back his family home so they can have a place to escape to, to allow everyone to stay there if need be.

His hand and body were sending a different message to Bella, and, lifting an eyebrow, she grinds down on his cock. He sighs, “I told you that was a normal occurrence around you.  I don’t think there is a time I’m not at least semi-hard, since I’m always with you.  Truly, I always seem to be ready for you, Carissima.  And for me, that’s saying something, since I will admit I was a horny bastard.” He shrugs it off as he looks down at her to judge her reaction, his hand still slowing drawing words and circles on her back.

She moves up on his body and he shifts to make it easier for her, neither noticing how they move so smoothly together as Bella smiles down at him. She cups his strong jaw, and says, “Times like these make me so thankful I made that choice.  To know-”

 

[ ](http://kittyinaz.files.wordpress.com/2014/04/tumblr_m83j0ozaax1r33it2o1_500.jpg)

 

He brings her close to him, and he murmurs to her as he hears her choked sob, “Shhhhh.  But you did make that choice.  So enough thinking about the ‘may have beens’ when you’ve already made the choice in the past. We need to make sure the future never takes a turn for the worse, and we now have Witchy here accepting her role to make sure that does not happen.  Take that trust you had in all of us making the right decisions and apply it to yourself.  We are Mated, which is a permanent feature in this world.” He holds her close to him, his purr erupting to soothe his Mate.

She sighs, and after a few more minutes of them seeking comfort from each other, both of them move, knowing they need to get on the road.  But as Damon mentions as they redress, they do have vamp speed for a reason, and within minutes they are saying goodbye to Elijah and the rest as they head out to her SUV.  Since neither of their cars could easily hold another person, they figure the SUV will be the best way to bring back the wayward vampire.

On the road, Damon takes her hand and kisses it. “Finally some time to ourselves, no researching, no surprise family showing up, nothing but the two of us driving to Roanoke.” He lifts his face to the open sunroof, loving the sense of freedom he has.

Bella laughs. “Which, unfortunately, will only be a few hours…” The sound of his groan has her laughing even harder.

He gives her this look as he goes back to driving. “Silver lining, Bella.  Silver lining.” He shakes his head, and kisses her hand as he continues driving.

She laughs as they head out of Mystic Falls, leaving behind the feeling of the weight of the world on their shoulders for as long as they can.

 

* * *

[ ](http://kittyinaz.files.wordpress.com/2014/02/roanoke-hotel.jpg)

 

As she had predicted, within a couple of hours they are driving up to a hotel where Damon has booked them a room.  Since neither of them know how long they will be there, he had decided that he would rather have a room available in case they need it.  But then he smirks as he checks them in, knowing they both will be using the room before they left.  This mating drive they have is unreal…not that he was complaining.

After they have a quick romp in the room, during which Damon once again manages to not rip their clothing, which naturally causes Bella to tease him, they leave the hotel and start downtown on the  sidewalk. They go to dinner, and after much teasing from Damon about Bella’s face at the thought of eating liver _anything_ , they head toward the bad side of town where Bonnie had indicated they would catch their prey.

The two of them are laughing and staggering a bit to see if they can lure their prey in with the drunken couple act.  They had made a point of eating in a restaurant from where a couple of people have gone missing after drinking heavily.  At this moment, Damon has his arm thrown casually over his Mate’s shoulder as she snuggles into his side.

Damon is aware as only a male Mated vampire could be.  This other vamp could be a threat to his Mate, and he is prepared to do whatever it takes to bring him in, hopefully alive.  Somewhat…after being roughed up if he touches his Mate. No one touches what is his without pain.  Although he is aware that Klaus would be taking a pound of flesh from him if something happens to his niece; seems Elijah is not the only one focused on family.

So when the vampire starts following them, he sends apprehension and victory to Bella.  They argue after a little bit, Bella telling him she remembers the map and that this alley they were in front of is a shortcut back to their hotel.  They stand there arguing for a few minutes, then Damon sighs, and kisses her lips. He says to her, “Fine.  But if it comes out on the wrong street, no complaining.” He lifts an eyebrow at her, waiting for her agreement.

 

[ ](http://kittyinaz.files.wordpress.com/2014/04/tumblr_mj5h8hjijy1qawchto1_500.jpg)

 

She looks up at him coyly. “Does this mean you won’t give me a piggy back ride if my feet start to hurt?”

He looks down at her, sending his amusement to her as he shakes his head. “Maybe, depends on how much you complain when I am proved right.” He tucks a strand of her hair behind her ear, the picture of a doting man caring for his woman.  He thinks in the back of his head that he needs to see if she wishes to marry him, or just have some paperwork to reflect it.  He would love to call her his wife.

Bella sighs. “Typical male,” she mutters under her breath as he hugs her closer to him.

He chuckles at her, and indicates the so-called shortcut. “Do you want to take it or not?” He gives a mocking little bow to her.

She rolls her eyes at him, and heads down the alley.  Damon hears the vampire chuckle in amusement at their play…and what he thinks is prime pickings. Damon barely stops from rolling his eyes at the idiot, and soon catches up with his Mate.

Bella looks up at him with a smile barely evident on her face, also amused by the vampire.  When the male goes to grab them, the two act in concert and capture him in a cage of wind. Damon nods as they worked seamlessly. “You are almost as awesome as me.” As he looks over their cage, he realizes that this is something he never would have thought of doing before. But then again, without his mate’s help it would have taken a lot more out of him to do this.  Not that he wouldn’t, it does has that stylish sense of flash he loves to use when he shows off.

She rolls her eyes at him. “Cause no one can be that awesome, right,” she asks as she waits for him to come back to her.  She is well aware of how proud her Mate is of the fact that they work so well together as a team.

He gives her a look, and cocks his head. “I knew you were a smart one.  I did get myself a Mate perfect for me, didn’t I?” He asks the trapped vampire as he walks back to around and looks down at Bella as he pulls her close to him.

The vampire growls at them, then demands, “Who the hell are the two of you?” He fidgets, then feels a reproving slap form from the wind encasing him, and tries to bring his body closer into himself.

Letting go of his Mate, Damon gives a mocking bow. “Damon Salvatore and Isabella Swan, my Mate.  We were sent for you by Klaus and Elijah.  I think you have heard of them?” He lifts that eyebrow, and Bella struggles not to laugh at him.  He is just a tad too flamboyant at times.  But it is that same nonchalant attitude that makes him so formidable.  He can back up his words with actions, and often does.

The vampire just growls at them as Damon shrinks the trap into a second skin around the male. He sighs as he comments to Bella, “Sires are nothing like they used to be?  I mean look at you, I am teaching you what you need to know, and you are only days old.” He pulls her close to him to make sure she is secure as he tries something.

She snorts as they use the wind to lift them above the buildings to bring them to their hotel. “There is nothing like the fact I am the daughter of Elijah that helped.”  Then she looks down, and points out the road that where alley would have led. “See, I told you it would go back to the hotel!”

 

[ ](http://kittyinaz.files.wordpress.com/2014/04/damon-238.jpg)

 

Damon chuckles, holding her close as they land on their balcony. He opens the door they had left unlocked earlier as a ‘just in case’, waives her in then drags the other vampire through the door after him.  “So it did.” He shrugs, then goes back to the point he may have a chance at winning. “Now back to what I was saying.  No idea what you are talking about.  It is _my_ tutoring as your sire that gives you all sorts of benefits that this one could have not have had even if he dreamed about it.” He waits for his Mate to answer him, knowing she will have a comeback.

She instead just laughs at him as she heads back to the bar where he had left the cooler containing the blood bags. After opening the lock, she grabs him a couple.  He sighs as he takes one to drink, then drops into a chair to look over their prey as he sips.

“Not much to look at is he?” There is a sense of moodiness that she wouldn’t argue with him.

Running her fingers through his hair as she sits on his lap, Bella replies, “No, but then even if he was drop dead gorgeous, you still wouldn’t admit it.” She looks down at him, enjoying the purr that had erupted with her actions, and raises an eyebrow.

Damon stops drinking long enough to give her a nod, acknowledging her comment. “True.” He waives it off, his eyes half closing as she continues running her fingers through his hair.

The vampire has tried to struggle and found that if he did, the pressure on him increases.  He finally growls and asks, “Why the hell did you capture me?” He stares at the two beings in front of him, wanting nothing to do with either Klaus or Elijah, and not liking the fact the two throw those particular names around so easily.

Bella smirks. “Klaus wanted you for some ritual.  Daddy agreed, so here we are.  Seems you have been a bad, bad boy and _this_ is your punishment.” She looks at him from her Mates lap, and cocks her head slightly to the side.

The vampire just shakes his head, and demands with a growl, “How do you know you have the right vampire?  It could have been me passing by taking advantage of the moment.” He eyes the male she is sitting on and wonders if he could take him on and have the woman moaning under him within minutes afterwards.

Damon tosses his drained blood bag on the table, and taking the next one from Bella, comments, “It is pretty amazing how stupid he thinks we are.  Let’s just say Mother told on you.  Now, love, what shall we do?  It was pretty simple and easy to get him.” He is also making sure that nothing of the male’s arousal gets out of the cage. It’s hard enough to have to see it, since the idiot wore those skinny jeans.  Nope, the odor would drive him nuts and cause him to have to claim Bella in front of him, so instead he takes the high road.

Sighing as she thinks about the lost opportunities, she tells him seriously, “Take him back.  Remember what Bonnie said? She doesn’t see any issues, but we shouldn’t take chances.” She lays her head on his shoulder, not happy at all about those lost chances either.

Damon groans as he drops his head on the back of the chair. “Asshole.  You are going to pay for the fact we have to go back home.  There are just too many people at the plantation.” He cannot wait until it is just the two of them.  By the time he is done, there won’t be a place in their home that won’t smell of their mating.

Grinning down at her mate, Bella entices him. “If you break his neck, you might get some road head.  But it all depends on you.” She grins at Damon, knowing that with as horny he always is, and with how much he loves to watch her suck his cock, this would be a very tempting offer.

Damon growls at the enticing thought, and, looking at the vampire, comments, “Bad luck for you.” And with that he makes a twist with the wind and that is all the vampire saw before blackness overcame him.

 

* * *

**Final count:  3,917 words.**

**Fairfarren~Wendy**


	26. Hide No More

# Hide No More

**[ ](http://kittyinaz.files.wordpress.com/2014/02/doody-david-falling-spring-falls-allegheny-county-va.jpg) **

 

**Disclosure:  Twilight and Vampire Diaries are owned by their respective braianics that thought of it.**

**Pre Edit Count -   2,163 Words**

_Song I listened to for this chapter: Too Close_ by Alex Clare.

* * *

_Previous:_

_Sighing as she thinks about the lost opportunities, she tells him seriously, “Take him back.  Remember what Bonnie said? She doesn’t see any issues, but we shouldn’t take chances.” She lays her head on his shoulder, not happy at all about those lost chances either._

_Damon groans as he drops his head on the back of the chair. “Asshole.  You are going to pay for the fact we have to go back home.  There are just too many people at the plantation.” He cannot wait until it is just the two of them.  By the time he is done, there won’t be a place in their home that won’t smell of their mating._

_Grinning down at her mate, Bella entices him. “If you break his neck, you might get some road head.  But it all depends on you.” She grins at Damon, knowing that with as horny he always is, and with how much he loves to watch her suck his cock, this would be a very tempting offer._

_Damon growls at the enticing thought, and, looking at the vampire, comments, “Bad luck for you.” And with that he makes a twist with the wind and that is all the vampire saw before blackness overcame him._

 

_Now:_

* * *

A few hours later, Damon strolls into their home escorting Bella and dragging the unfortunate vampire, who was just waking up from his latest broken neck, behind them.   There is no way that the Elemental Master had wanted the vampire to hear how much pleasure his Mate was giving him on the way home. He had learned a new appreciation for her mouth and how to drive when she was doing what she was doing to him…an experience that added an hour or two to their drive time since he’d had to pull over a couple of times.

[ ](http://kittyinaz.files.wordpress.com/2014/05/klaus-wallpaper-klaus-28035146-1024-768.jpg)

 

In the living room, Klaus is reading a book as he waits for the two of them after Bella had called to let them know they were headed home with the vampire. At the strange site of the vampire floating behind them, Klaus blinks a few times, and finally asks, “How are you holding him there?”

With a smirk, Damon divulges to him, “The same way Bella and I held Stefan.  We are just using wind since it’s quieter.” He cannot help but be proud of what all they have learned about their talents – some mystical, some not – this evening.

Feeling satisfied, Bella laughs and tells her uncle, “Seems when we use our powers together, all sorts of things are possible.” She leans back into Damon, and her grin just gets bigger as he wraps his arms around her.

Looking the two in front of him, Klaus just shakes his head. “And they are worried about _me_ and power.  They have no idea what’s coming with the two of you.” He is teasing, but in reality, he is a little alarmed.  What could stop these two if they decide to work for themselves and not for the greater good?

Giving his Mate a kiss, Damon chuckles as he heads to the basement to install the newest resident.  “I thought you were going after Jules,” he inquires as he makes his way to the cells.   Bella had told him about this area and the panic room built into the house.  As he gets closer, he can smell the rooms and wonders why he never found them before.  God knows he spent a lot of time in this house and never suspected what he found down here.

[ ](http://kittyinaz.files.wordpress.com/2014/05/elijah-3.jpg)

 

Klaus growls at the turn the night had taken after Bella and Damon had left. “Seems she wanted Tyler, so I took her before she could do anything else.  Luckily our witches were watching and made it easier.  Elijah and I took care of the rogue pack, too.  But this proves what Bonnie said, she doesn’t know the future, just about choices and the outcomes of the major ones.” He is seething. He hadn’t wanted to kill the rogue pack, hoping instead to sway them over to him, but the fact that they had attacked Caroline and were trying to convince Tyler to be on their side had infuriated him.

Damon comes back upstairs, stops behind his Mate to rest his cheek against her head for a second, then looks at them. “Like there may be interference at the ritual, but since we decided to all be there, there will be choice.”  He drops his head onto his Mate’s shoulder from behind her. “I think I need a drink.” He knows there is more to the story that they are not being told, but will wait to find out what is missing.   Right now, he needs a drink.  There is just so much going on that he just needs a moment to sit and relax.

They all chuckle, but head into the library.  Damon makes sure Bella is comfortable sitting behind her desk, and heads to the bar area and pours himself some bourbon, then shakes the bottle to see if the rest would like some.  His Mate gives him a look, so he grabs her whiskey and pours her a drink, muttering under his breath, “My whiskey girl.” He finishes pouring the rest the drinks then, after he hands them out, he settles behind Bella commenting, “We may want to rethink this seating arrangement.” As he moves her to make sure they both are comfortable, he smiles watching her drink her whiskey straight.  It was one of the things that first caught his interest.  Not many woman liked whiskey.

She looks back and up at him and says, “Your seat is right there.”  She indicates the chair he had pulled up next to her desk when they had first started trying to log in the books that Elena’s mother had sent them.

Damon rolls his eyes. “You know what I mean.” He then whispers softly in her ear, “Admit it, you like me here with you, touching you.”  He chuckles when he feels the effect of his words through the bond, and settles them both more comfortably into the seat. He lets her know with a pat on her legs that he will keep his promise to make her scream his name multiple times for her tricks earlier on the way home.

She shakes her head at him then looks over at the rest of them. “So we’re as ready as we can be for the ritual?” It has been an eventful night, and the sun is rising, the false dawn already coming through the windows.  She knew that she needed sleep, and that she might be mixing up the dates; it was either tonight, or tomorrow night.

Elijah walks into the room then, and Elena follows him with a perplexed look on her face. She is still getting used to this Mate business, and while being around Elijah makes it easier on her, she still finds that it is odd, particularly when he has told her that he regrets that this is all rushed, but that he will show her his true self afterwards.

After making sure Elena is settled in a seat, he tells them, “The family is all undaggered, and it worked just as we thought.  Sage is there.  Both she and Finn want to meet the two of you.  Since you four are the only Mated pairs right now, they wish to compare notes.” His eyes held mirth as he remembers informing Sage that her student, Damon Salvatore, was not only Mated, but Mated to a woman who had tamed him, somewhat.  She had laughed when he had proudly told her that said Mate is his daughter, and that she has a fire to match Damon’s own.

Damon nods as he checks with Bella through the bond. He may be dominant, but his Mate is his equal in every way.  Plus, he is not stupid: a happy Mate is a Mate who is more than willing to follow his ideas.   And if checking his Mate’s opinion in the bond makes her happy, why would he not do so? “I would agree with that. Any information is better than none, and being rare is great, but not if we don’t have all the information about it.”

They nod, then the group discusses who needs to be together for the ritual, as well as what had happened with Jules.  Damon shakes his head, mentioning, “I would not be too shocked if Katherine is behind this.   This sounds like something she would do, and she seems to have something for Caroline, too.”  He nuzzles his Mate as he thinks, and sends her calm as he feels her agitation at another member of their group being hurt, as well as Katherine being involved.

[ ](http://kittyinaz.files.wordpress.com/2014/05/the-vampire-diaries-the-vampire-diaries-31610339-436-714.jpg)

 

Then Klaus gets a message on his phone and starts laughing. “The Gods must love us.  Katherine was picked up.”  He shakes his head, knowing that Damon must have been right.  He will like tormenting her, having beaten her at her own game.  She is good, he will give her that, since he has been actively hunting her since she ran from him.

[ ](http://kittyinaz.files.wordpress.com/2014/05/damon-56.jpg)

 

Damon just grins, but the feelings coming from his little Mate are even more malicious than his own.  They both have reasons to want to get their hands on her.  Bella wants to because she messed with what is hers.  Damon wants his revenge for the waste of his time, and to mess with her since she has been messing up his plans for the last couple of months.  Everything seems to trace back to her meddling.

Klaus watches the two of them, and after what he has been told of how badly Katerina treated Damon, he has no problem allowing Damon or his Mate to some retribution. He knows the two of them would have unique ways to get their revenge. He tells them, “If you wish, later tonight Elijah and I can take the two old lovers to the vault, and compel them to stay there.  Roll the rock in front of it, and it won’t be easy for anyone to remove them.  If they do, we have a very short list of who would and how they could.” He shrugs, the list is a short one, and he really isn’t worried about it.  Plus, he is all for letting the bitch know that she is in for a fun time once they are ready for her.

Taking a deep breath, and thinking through the options, Bella finally nods. “It will be best.  No interferences for tomorrow.” As much as she wants to get her revenge, it will be better when she can have more time to dedicate to it.  And she really doesn’t want the bitch here in her home.

Damon squeezes her shoulder, knowing that she wants the elder vampire as much as he wants Edward Cullen in front of him.  However, they both acknowledge that they need to make sure the first step is complete, and that people are ready for the next step. Their revenge is something that they can postpone as she will be there waiting for them.

With agreement on what needs to be done, they all split.  Damon and Bella go upstairs to satisfy their need to Mate, as well as for Damon to keep his promise about returning all the pleasure and teasing she had given to him on the way home.

Elijah goes to check on Elena and see if she is ready to give more blood.  At the rate they are going, they will be tied even more closely than Bella and Damon, and that would be really shocking. Elijah had never seen two people as close as those two, not even Sage and Finn. Elijah is not going to complain, however; his little mate is just too vulnerable and needed as a human for him to be comfortable.  This way she is full of his blood, and will be more before the ritual.  He will not lose her this close to getting everything they ever wanted.

Shaking his head, Klaus heads out to collect and secure Katerina in the tomb. As he drives to the rendezvous point, he cannot help the sadistic smile on his face as he thinks of all that Damon and Bella will be doing with his doppelganger. When he pulls up and see her in the arms of some of the vampires he had sired and who have remained loyal to him, he smiles gleefully as his minions thrust her at him. “Katerina.  Such a pleasure to meet with you.” His voice is mocking, and he is very much looking forward to taking away her hope.  He knows it is mean, but he can’t wait until she meets his niece.

She spits at him, and he just laughs. “Feisty.  Too bad there is no need for you but to relieve some frustrations.  Hmm.  Where to put you?” He taps his finger on his lips for a couple of seconds, then grins malevolently. “I’ve got it!! I can stick you in the horrid tomb where you should have been all these years.”  He laughs as she struggles in his arms, but he soon has her compelled to stay with him. He can see the loathing she has for him and it does nothing but make him smirk.

[ ](http://kittyinaz.files.wordpress.com/2014/05/klaus_the_vampire_diaries.jpg)

 

He pushes her into his car and calls Damon. When he gets his niece on the phone, he tells her, “I got her and am heading out that way right now.” He wonders how much she is like the family, but then she hasn’t had the chance to let those instincts come to the fore.  Not yet.

Bella is grinning lazily at her sated Mate.  “Perfect timing, Uncle.  I will bring the other and we will be out there shortly.” Her grin gets bigger as Damon rolls his eyes, then he gets out of bed knowing she will be watching him as he grabs them some clothes. This time he had made sure to rip theirs into little pieces.  What can he say?  He enjoys knowing that she will be going shopping with him soon, and he plans to toss in some sexy lingerie.

Klaus nods then teases her, “Excellent.  Not too many more of those fun times in the bedroom, I want to get this out of the way.” He loves the new dynamic, a sense of light-hearted fun, his niece adds to his family that wasn’t there before.  He likes this chance to tease her, knowing she will enjoy it since no one with a mating drive like those two have would be shy.

He grins as he hears her laughter peal through the phone and he hangs up.  He settles in listening to the radio as he heads to the closest parking place to the vault, knowing that it has been visited a lot lately.  His grin widens as he thinks of his favorite warfare, that of psychological kind.  He loves it when his reputation precedes him and does all the work.   Since the two of them know what is coming, he has the chance to do it to the victim beside him.

Katherine can’t help it and asks, “Uncle?” She raises an eyebrow at Klaus as she tries to figure out what the angle is.  She knows there is no way someone could legitimately claim him as that.

His grin turns into a smirk; he had known she wouldn’t be able to resist.  “Yes.” He says nothing more. The less he gives away, the better the shock factor.  He suspects even Elijah has a desire for revenge, in fact, the more he thinks about it, he realizes that no one in their group has been spared from this temptress beside him. This will make for interesting times when Damon and Bella go to take their vengeance.  He wonders if Bella would allow the rest of them to get in a hit or two.

Katherine shakes her head. “You and your siblings have no children, how can you be an uncle?” This tidbit doesn’t fit in with her calculations, and somehow she knows this will affect her since she missed something that any of the Mikaelsons would treasure.

Recognizing the question as a fish for information, Klaus raises a brow and chuckles.  “You think you know so much about us, and you have no real idea.  No worries, she is my niece, we have it proven and everything.  Jealous?” He turns his head enough to raise an eyebrow at the woman beside him, the smirk still on his face.

Turning away from him and looking out the window, she huffs, “No.” _Yes_.  Anyone who can claim to be family with the Originals will have more power than she could ever accrue.

Klaus laughs, knowing that _not_ knowing what all is going on is eating her alive.  It had always been a weakness of hers.  And finding out that someone is close to his family?  In a position of power?  Oh yes, he can tell by the set of her shoulders that she is upset.

He pulls up to a well-worn parking spot on the side of the road, gets out of the car, grabs her roughly, and pulls her towards the tomb.  When she realizes where he is taking her, she pulls slightly, and he just laughs, knowing that neither his compulsion nor his strength would let her get away.  He drags her down the steps, and then waits.

She tries to twist out of his hands, knowing it is useless, but something in her will not allow her to give up.  Then she hears a familiar voice above her talking to someone, and involuntarily looks up in hopes that he would act like normal and spring to her rescue. She starts smiling smugly, knowing that she may be close to escaping.

What comes over the lip is a surprise to her, Damon is walking next to a brunette who is stunning, and he’s laughing with her …and Elijah?  Then her eyes light on Stefan who is following them down, looking as though he is under a compulsion, too.  She is confused to say the least, but what happened with her little doppelganger and the Salvatores?  Why is she not with them? Her sources tell her that they are usually squabbling over her.

Bella looks down into the pit as she descends the stairs, her old clumsiness no longer an issue when she is with her father and her Mate.  She knows they will catch her one way or the other.  Looking down at the two vampires waiting for her and her family along with Stefan, her eyes brighten. “Uncle!  You brought me a gift?” Her grin is infectious, and the rest of them smile at her.

Klaus gives her a little bow as he answers, “Of course, dear.  What better way to greet the newest members of the family?” He watches proudly as she comes down the stairs, his grin just getting bigger as Damon hands her off the stairs into the place they were.  The torches were lit, Klaus having no idea why, but they had lit up as he entered, and the delight he easily sees in his niece’s eyes gives him the sense that she is his blood. There is no denying it, not with how much she looks like her father at this second.

After making sure his Mate is on the ground, and glancing at her father and uncle to make sure they are watching over her, Damon walks in front of Katherine, and he chuckles.  “I just bet you were thinking I was here to save you, didn’t you?” He cannot help it, the need to play the game is there, and he loves to rile this woman up. Now he has nothing to lose, where before he had been sacred to do so because he had been a lovesick fool.  No more.  Not with Bella around.

Bella chuckles.  She steps in front of her Mate and looks the woman in front of her up and down.  Then she asks Damon, “Really?” Her eyebrow is lifted, and neither Klaus nor Elijah can keep their laughter completely hidden.  The look on her face says it all to her Mate.

Before Damon could react, Bella turns to face them, “And don’t let me start with either of you two.  It would be wise to keep quiet before I make comments about you two and her.   Didn’t she start a feud between you that had you at each other’s throats for decades, if not centuries?”  Both have a proud smirk on their lips as they watch their family member, their pride obvious.

Keeping his own laughter hidden, Damon leans forward to lay kisses on her neck, his hands slipping around her waist. “I had no idea of you.  If you had been even in my dreams, carissima, I would have never have wasted any time with her.”  He sends his love, his adoration for her through the bond, and barely manages to control his purr when she sends the same feelings back to him.  Yep, no other woman would even come close to rivaling his affections for her.

Katherine rolls her eyes. “Please.  You wanted me, and still do Damon.” She puts her hand on her hip, displaying her body for the three males that have fought over her in the past, trying to use her assets to get her out of trouble.

The group laughs at her as Klaus informs her, “My dear, let me tell you a tale.  Have you ever heard of Mates?  You are looking at one of the three pairs in the world, and one of the two who are fully Mated.  And let me tell you, what they can do together boggles the mind.  And then there are their talents.” He shakes his head at himself.  This woman had caused strife between him and his closest brother, and now he just can’t see what the attraction could have been.   But back then, she had been more innocent.  The temptress act does nothing but disgust him.

She struggles in Klaus’s hold, and Bella sighs, “Really?”  She waves her hand and Katherine is encased in a shield with Damon’s wind on the outside.  She then uses that wind to lift the vampire up.  “Damon, is this another one of those sucky sires?” She holds her head to the side, knowing it makes her look like a ditz, but she has adopted Damon’s idea that hiding her true self is often a good idea.

Damon can’t help but laugh as he pulls her closer to him. “Yes, carissima.  She didn’t stick around to help either my brother or me in our transition.  Luckily, she had taught me some lessons as a human.” He nuzzles her neck, and they both laugh in their bond as they watch Katherine seethe in front of them.

Katherine is so mad by this point and finally asks the woman before her who she thinks is a human, “Please.  Without me, he wouldn’t be here.  It’s my blood that runs through his veins, and once you’re dust, he will be back panting at my heels.” She shrugs her hair off her shoulder with a practiced move.  She needs to believe this.  Damon’s love for her is one of her cornerstones.  She has always believed that she would have it no matter what happens.  That, and Stefan too. But Stefan, while being the brother she prefers, had moved on while Damon worked to get her out of her so-called hell. The fact that she wasn’t in it didn’t matter.  If she needed a boost, she could always look at him working to get her out of her prison before going off to work on whatever her new plan was.

Looking over the bitch who had left her Mate to flounder on his own, Bella couldn’t help the laugh as she comments, “She really has no idea, nor is she very smart.”

[ ](http://kittyinaz.files.wordpress.com/2014/05/1368ce8e70c29dbabfae6ceb0d68ccba.jpg)

 

She looks at the bitch in front of her and tells her slowly, as though she is speaking to an idiot, “Damon is mine, and my blood runs as much through his veins as his does mine.  He has no need to pant at your heels, since if for some reason I am dust, he will be too.  Now, I think it is time for you to go into this pretty little cage you had created for other vampires.  It is rather fitting for you to be in there instead.  We even brought you a roommate.  It will be reunion for the books, I suspect.” She stares down the vampires in front of her, her eyebrow lifting up.  The stupid act can come later; this idiot in front of her pissed her off with her comment.

Damon purrs to his Mate, calming her.  He just smirks when Katherine starts to screech, and ignores her as he comments to the others, “God how I hated her temper tantrums.  You would think one as old as she is would have learned not to throw them anymore.” He shakes his head at Katherine as the rest chuckle.

Bella just shakes her head in shock at the old vampiress having a fit as Elijah and Klaus throw her into the vault.

Stefan is much easier even after Elijah removes his compulsion.  He blinks a couple of times then closes his eyes as he sees what is in front of him.  Turning, he looks his brother in the face and asks, “You couldn’t give me a grave?  I have to get stuck with the witch?”

[ ](http://kittyinaz.files.wordpress.com/2014/05/damon-84.jpg)

 

Damon just smirks and tells him, “You love her, brother dearest.  We will come back for you after tomorrow.  It won’t be long.  Maybe you will calm down by then and we can all discuss things without you throwing around ultimatums?  Might want to think about that.” Stefan shakes his head and mutters as he walks into the vault.

Klaus compels the two of them, and then Elijah closes the door to confine them.  Klaus brushes off his hands. “That’s done. What’s next?” He leans back on the wall to see what the two in front of him come up with now.

Bella laughs. “You might just make Uncle of the Year.” She grins at him, glad that he is nowhere nearly as bad as the rumors claim.  She likes her Uncle; he’s a lot of fun.

Klaus can’t help but laugh with the tiny woman in Damon’s arms.  He admires the two as they stand there.  “I don’t know, caging her and making her float was pretty awesome.” He teases her while praising the two of them for the ideas that they keep coming up with on to deal with issues.

Elijah rolls his eyes, and starts walking up the stairs. “Dusk is coming, and I want us all back at the plantation.  It is more defensible than being out here.” He also is feeling the pain from being away from Elena.  It is worse than normal now that she has acknowledged the bond, but he wants her nowhere around her ancestor or her ex-boyfriend.

Damon nods, then smirks as he asks Elijah, “You want to go back with Klaus or by Air Damon?” He had laughed at Elijah when he had complained that there are now cars for a reason.   Damon had enjoyed showing off, and that was all it was, a huge way to showoff.

Elijah couldn’t help but laugh. “Once was enough.  I will head back with Klaus, we need to talk anyways.” He has picked on the two for their now preferred mode of transportation, but he cannot deny the thrill he had flying with them.  He had never looked into having a familiar before, but Damon had said that having one came with bonuses that even flying that way didn’t.  Damon had then told Bella he would work with her to gain a familiar.  Elijah thought he might join them for that exercise.

Damon just shrugs then envelopes them all in a cage of air. He takes them to Klaus’s car, drops Elijah and Klaus off, then flies Bella and himself toward home. En route, he brings up the plantation, mentioning that he would like Bella to look it over so she could see what kind of work was needed. She agrees, and the two veer off for a brief stopover at the Salvatore Plantation.

Klaus just stares after them. “They really are formidable aren’t they?” He cannot get over how much easier it seems for the two of them to accomplish more and more each day.

Elijah grins. “Yep.  And they are on our side.  I will say, the trip over here was quite fun.  Damon can get Bella going, and the two of them, well, let’s just say I don’t think their future will ever be boring.” He grins, proud of his daughter and her Mate.

A brief longing flashes in Klaus’s eyes as he comments, “No, I wouldn’t think it would ever be boring with the two of them.” He wishes for what they have.  He loves his family, but they are angry with him, justifiably so, but still.  Right now his new niece is the one closest to him, and she has no idea who he really is.

Elijah sees the look and tells him, “Cheer up.  You don’t know when you will find your Mate.  So stop with the longing looks, and never let Damon see it.  His instincts are going crazy.  Just be happy that tomorrow will end your era of pain.” His voice is harsh, but what they didn’t need now was for Klaus and Damon to get into a fight.  It wouldn’t be pretty, and it would all be for nothing.  Klaus sees Bella as family, but Damon has not accepted Klaus as Bella’s family.

Klaus grins mischievously at the thought of that fight, but then nods as he gives in to the wisdom of his older brother, a time honored tradition.  There is a reason why the two of them have gotten along over the years.  “On to the oh-so-fun-plantation stuffed full of people we couldn’t really care less about, except for a very small few?”

Elijah chuckles. “Onward, James.” He needs his Mate, but he also misses this side of Klaus.  He settles into the seat, and the two of them pick right back up as if they hadn’t been enemies for longer than America has been a country. And for a time, the brothers act like brothers the world over, forgetting the many years of fighting as only siblings can.

* * *

**Final count:  5,157 words.**

**Fairfarren~Wendy**


	27. Eye of the Storm

# Eye of the Storm

 

 

 

**[ ](http://kittyinaz.files.wordpress.com/2014/01/10724995.jpg) **

 

**Disclosure:  Twilight and Vampire Diaries are owned by their respective braianics that thought of it.**

**Pre Edit Count -   2,005 Words**

_Song I listened to for this chapter: Waiting for the End_ by Linkin Park.

 

* * *

_Previous:_

_Elijah sees the look and tells him, “Cheer up.  You don’t know when you will find your Mate.  So stop with the longing looks, and never let Damon see it.  His instincts are going crazy.  Just be happy that tomorrow will end your era of pain.” His voice is harsh, but what they didn’t need now was for Klaus and Damon to get into a fight.  It wouldn’t be pretty, and it would all be for nothing.  Klaus sees Bella as family, but Damon has not accepted Klaus as Bella’s family._

_Klaus grins mischievously at the thought of that fight, but then nods as he gives in to the wisdom of his older brother, a time honored tradition.  There is a reason why the two of them have gotten along over the years.  “On to the oh-so-fun-plantation stuffed full of people we couldn’t really care less about, except for a very small few?”_

_Elijah chuckles. “Onward, James.” He needs his Mate, but he also misses this side of Klaus.  He settles into the seat, and the two of them pick right back up as if they hadn’t been enemies for longer than America has been a country. And for a time, the brothers act like brothers the world over, forgetting the many years of fighting as only siblings can._

_Now:_

 

* * *

The group reassembles back at the plantation, not wanting to separate from each other until the ritual is done.  They have Jenna in the house with them, too. She is in a guest room with Damon deftly glamouring her to stay in the room and Alaric volunteering to keep her company.  After hearing Damon grumbling about how open their home is, Elijah gets on the phone to harass his witches about a spell for his daughter’s home. He just doesn’t like her being vulnerable at this point any more than the rest of them do.

[ ](http://kittyinaz.files.wordpress.com/2014/02/3174308-7003825848-tumbl.jpg)

 

And the end of the day, Klaus sits in the library with a drink in his hand thinking while the humans and near-humans go to bed. The house he has being renovated would be great for his family when they can move around.  He has to admit, however, that he loves the comfy feel of the home he is in right now, though he does acknowledge that a lot of that has to with the owners of the home.

He is going to miss them.   But his mind is soon thinking of all that needs to be done, the ritual, and what exactly his priorities are now that he is getting the curse lifted. He quickly finds that he is looking forward to getting to know his niece better, and to amending what he has done with his family.  Nothing seems more important than that right now.

[ ](http://kittyinaz.files.wordpress.com/2014/05/elijah-5.jpg)

 

As he sits there, Elijah comes into the room, grabs himself a scotch, and sits down across from Klaus.  He gives him a look, and the younger brother sighs. “I tried, Elijah, but I feel nothing for her.  No more than I feel for Katerina.  If she is my descendent, then my line is dead.  I know you wanted more for both of us, but I can’t act like I feel something when there is nothing.”

Elijah’s head hangs down. “I had hoped that you would be as lucky as I.  I can’t explain how it feels to have Bella and Damon connected to me.”  He raises his head to look his brother in the eyes.

Elijah chuckles as he turns his head slightly.  “But Elijah, you needed that.  You, of all of us, wanted a child and that is what you have been granted, your child.  I can see the want, I really do, but back then?  It was still a game to us.  Finn and Sage are the other ones I could see wanting a child, but they were turned before it could happen.  So you, dear brother, are the one who lucked out on Bella.  But I will love her, count her as family, and name her and Damon as my own heirs.  I do not see anything happening to us, but just in case, I want to make sure that they have everything they need to take care of whatever comes up.  I have a bad feeling that she is going to need us.” He leans forward as he speaks, his troubled eyes pinning his brother’s as he worries about what could be bugging them all.

An unease seems to be hanging above them all instead a feeling of triumph that they had already turned the course of the world to ensure it will survive this point.

Elijah rubs his face as he leans back, feeling all his years resting on his shoulders.  “I do also.  I do not like the fact of these Cold Ones, and we will need to take care of them.  There is something about them that bothers me, and it bothers Bella, too.  Damon has told me of the research she has done, how it is driving her sometimes to find out more about them, and that she keeps having a feeling as though she is missing something.  I am worried that if it happens, whatever she thinks, and we can’t counter it, she will blame herself.”

Klaus nods, his eyes going up as they hear Damon and Bella settling in bed for rest.  He chuckles. “I think they are worse than Finn and Sage.” He shakes his head, but is happy that his niece is being taken care of so well.  There is no doubt in anyone’s mind that Damon is devoted to her, and she to him.

Elijah’s head whips up, and he cannot help the grin on his face.  Klaus lifts an eyebrow and asks, “So mate, how is the wooing of your own Mate going?” He cannot help the sly grin from showing on his face.

Elijah answers his grin, and tells him frankly, “Very well.  She feels the Bond, and with as many exchanges as we’ve had, well, I am sure we will be as close as those two are.  But it helps a lot that Stefan is gone.  Strange.  Damon uncompelled her, and it did nothing, so we have no idea why when he is around, she feels a pull to him.”  His voice is confused.  It is off how she tries to explain to him the actual _need_ to be with Stefan.  She actually told him she would have preferred Damon over Stefan, but couldn’t do anything about it.

Sighing, Klaus stands up and holds a hand out to his brother. “Nothing will be solved right this moment.  Go up to your lovely Mate, and ensure she can’t remember the name of the bloody bastard tonight.  I will go and dream of how I will not be in pain for the first time in over a millennium, due to my niece.” He smiles at the notion.

With that they head to bed.

 

* * *

[ ](http://kittyinaz.files.wordpress.com/2014/05/bellas-home.jpg)

 

The next morning as the sun peaks over the valleys, all are soon up and moving around the house.  They are more solemn, giving respect for the trials they will be all facing tonight, since they all think that there will be something more that happens.  Even if not, Elena is giving up her human life for Klaus, and the rest will have to watch it, not an easy task for the group who has worked so hard to keep her alive.

Klaus is gritting his teeth, the pain already starting, and for once, he doesn’t have to hide how weak he gets during this time; hopefully, this is the last time he will be feeling this pain.  The rest silently watch, supporting him, and quite frankly, in a way protecting the hybrid as he deals with the pain.  It is a new feeling for him, one of caring that he has not ever truly felt in his long life.

After breakfast, Bonnie, Bella and Damon go into the Library to discuss what they each know, and make sure nothing has been missed.  They are in there for a couple of hours, and when they emerge, no one is happy.  There is no missing the misery on all the faces as though they have bad news.

Elijah frowns as he walks toward his daughter. Upon seeing the despair in her eyes as well as seeing how upset Damon is, Elijah walks toward his daughter and lifts her face up to look into her eyes. “What is wrong?” Whatever is wrong, he will do whatever it takes to make it better for his prințesă.

[ ](http://kittyinaz.files.wordpress.com/2014/05/blamon.png)

 

Damon slides up behind her, letting his hand rest on her shoulder to allow her to feel him strongly in their bond, as Bella shakes her head. She answers her father, “We thought we were done with the choice seeing thing, but seems Mother isn’t done with _us_.” She closes her eyes, and Damon moves closer to her to help support her if she needs it.

Elijah takes a deep sharp breath as what she is saying sinks in, and he looks up from her to Damon.  Damon nods his head slowly in agreement with what Elijah is thinking. Elijah closes his eyes, wondering how much will be put on the slim shoulders of his daughter and asks the only question that sums it all up, “Why?”

Bonnie shakes her head, and a little frightened to speak to someone she knows is a major player in all to come, and says, “We don’t know, but _She_ made it very clear that she is not done with them.  Seems there is much to come and the two of them need the ability to be able to see some choices at a moment’s notice.”

Sighing, she looks at the two with pity in her gaze as she thinks of all that they are going to be responsible for and exactly why they still need the ability.  There is much she needs to make up to them since her initial reluctance to take up her position has caused some of the reasons they need the ability. “They have so much on their shoulders, I do not understand fully why.  Bella already made a huge choice and literally wrenched the world from a disaster.”  It is not fair to either of them, the future she had seen with Bella making another choice was bad enough.  Why do they have to pay for her failure?  For that is how she feels, that these two are the ones taking up all the slack for the failures of others to step up.

Elijah just pulls his daughter to him, and holds her in a tight hug, supporting her as he tells her in her ear, softly, “I am here for you.  Damon is here for you.  And I suspect the rest of the family will be on your side as well.  We will help all that we can.”  There is no other way for him.  This is his daughter.  For all intents and purposes, she is as though she was born to him.  As he had told Damon before, Elena is the closest to her, and he will not kill either for the other, but other than that, Bella wins out somehow over his own Mate.  And he has not one single issue with it.

Surprising them all, Bonnie’s eyes glaze over, and her voice takes on an otherworldly sound as she comments, “Right Choice Made.”  Her voice is bell like, and Damon recognizes it as Mother, and feels when Bella too acknowledges the sound. It is one that none who ever hear it will forget, but hearing it come from Bonnie’s voice shakes them all to the core with the knowledge that the supreme mother of them all had actually been given voice.

[ ](http://kittyinaz.files.wordpress.com/2013/12/klaus-hi-res.jpg)

 

Having heard them, Klaus enters the room to be present to witness the moment. Shaking his head in disbelief as he comes up behind them, he exclaims, “It’s that bloody easy to make an earth changing choice?  This is going to be hell!” He had thought it would take decisions that would shake the earth and them knowing the consequences of the choice.  To hear something so small as his brother voicing his conscious and telling his daughter out loud what Klaus has no doubt he was going to do otherwise, is enough to shake him to the core.

Her eyes clearing, Bonnie leans back as Jeremy slides up behind her to support her. She had spoken with him last night, and the two admitted their feelings for each other.  One of the benefits of being the spokeswoman for Mother Earth is she knows who her soul mate is, and is happy that he is not only someone in her time period, but someone she already cares for. With the security she feels from having his arms around her, she answers the question Klaus has presented. “Around these two, yes.  For some reason, there are those people in the world who it seems the world revolves around, and in a way it does since their choices change the course.” She smiles up at Jeremy as they acknowledge that without the two doing what they had, they may have never found each other without the suffering they had in the other history.

She looks back to Klaus as she continues, “When we are done with the choices revolving around us right now, there is a prophecy that has us involved, and our story won’t end any time soon.  The literal end of the world as we know it is coming.  Humans are going to know about the rest of us in a spectacular way.  And those of us who are like them, have it easy.” She shakes her head as she sees in her mind the terror as every fantasy comes to life.  The world is going to be prepared, but it cannot happen soon enough for there to be no terror.

Klaus just stares at her, and then he shakes his head. “One thing at a time,” he asks with an eyebrow raised as he leans against the doorjamb and crosses his arms.  The pain from his curse is  
coursing through him as powerfully as any other time, but somehow it feels…more, as if the curse knows it will end tonight.

The witch looks up in his eyes, meeting them fully as she nods. “One thing at a time.  And right now, the world is revolving around you, Klaus.  You can change the choices you made already at any second, and it will be up to you to stay the course.  So, what will you decide to do?” She stands up straighter, asking him what his decision is.

He smiles at her. “Stay the course.”  Then Klaus looks to Damon and points a finger to him. “And the only thing I can think of to change that is Bella being threatened, and you better protect her.” He is not going to hide what would make him change his mind, not from those that need to know what could potentially take away his conviction. Bella is family, and in a way he is admitting what can hurt him as few can.

Damon growls at the thought of someone trying to hurt his carissima.  “Not happening.” He takes her back in his arms from her Father, their eyes meeting in agreement that Bella is their priority, then they look at Klaus as he clears his throat.  “She is important to me, too.”  Elijah and Damon nod as they meet his eyes, a silent accord between the three men, one that will change the face of the world.  But Bonnie doesn’t say anything, just smiles sadly.

Klaus then nods and look at Bonnie. “Elena will be under your control, in the rings.  So there is that, since I will also protect her and what she means to me.  Those are the two threats I can think of.  The males can take care of themselves.” These are the two females in his family that will be in harm’s way, and a man of his time always protects his ladies.

[ ](http://kittyinaz.files.wordpress.com/2014/05/jasper-5.jpg)

 

Then a sudden noise alerts them to others.  When they turn to the noise, Jasper is leaning against the doorway with Demetri behind him.  “We are in.”  Jasper indicates Demetri with his head. “He is going to be using his gift to try to make sure no others are going to be around, and I will be running patrol.” He has been forceful with the hybrid, telling him that he is not all that he thinks he is, that his ability only picks up on half of the population, and then only if they don’t want to block him.  Some, like Bella, know enough to hide themselves.   The truth has been humbling to the Volturi Guard, and his arrogance has been brought down to a level that could be tolerated.

Plus the fact he had seen Jasper brought down by Bella from his place in the basement, well, it had certainly made him take a step back and reevaluate things.  For now he is completely truthful in wanting to help.

Caroline and Tyler, having been in the family room discussing their issues and laying it out to each other how they feel, join the others, and she nods to confirm the plan Jasper had talked to her about before he had left to deal with the aggravating hybrid.

“Tyler and I will be moving the opposite way for us to meet every…”  She frowns as she tries to figure out how often they will pass each other, and Jasper supplies for her, “Every minute.  If we are both going full speed, we will meet once a minute.  This will minimize the risk factors.” He has tried to factor in everything, knowing that Bella’s safety may very well rest in their hands.  He wishes to make up for their beginning and to get to know his last living relative.

Frowning as he looks at Jasper, having been brought up to speed on the way back from the tomb last night, Klaus nods then looks at Bonnie. “What about you?” Later he will deal with the hybrid who is his Second, and teach him how to treat family.  The man needs a lesson.

She nods towards Jeremy and Elijah. “They are going to be guarding me.  Unfortunately, unless some of your family agree to help, that’s everyone.” She lifts an eyebrow, knowing that something is wrong with the Originals but not what it is.

[ ](http://kittyinaz.files.wordpress.com/2014/05/nathanielbuzolic.jpg)

 

At the mention of the family, and knowing what she is referring to, Elijah sigh as he rubs his forehead. “We need to give them a day or two.  They are all disorientated for some reason, and we don’t know why.  Kol in particular wants to be there, but he cannot stand up straight without collapsing.  From previous daggering for me, there should not be this sort of disorientation.   I suspect there is something interfering.” Kol, being another who cares for family, wants to meet his niece.  Not that anyone would know it, but he idolizes his older brothers, and since both of them have talked glowingly about Bella, he wishes to know her better.  He hates the fact that she may think him unwilling to help his brothers and her.

Bella sighs and leans back on Damon.  “If it’s not one thing, it’s ten more.  What are Damon and I to do?” The last is said sadly, with pain evident in her voice.  Damon pulls her closer, and a low purr for her ears alone is let loose as his beast tries to calm his distressed Mate.

Bonnie looks at the two and states, “Be there.  No idea why, but you have to be the witnesses.” She shakes her head, but it is one of the things that is clear in her vision, the two of them standing there much like they are now watching the ritual take place.

Damon narrows his eyes at Bonnie, and asks, “You don’t know something you are not telling us are you, Witchy?” He is suspicious of anything right now.  He is _not_ happy about the two of them and the big part they will be playing in the future.  All he wants is to take his Mate and lock them up in their room and just…be themselves.

Sensing his distress and anger, Bonnie shakes her head. “It’s just a partial vision that you two in particular need to witness this.  I’m just as frustrated as you are.” She hates this! Just when she thinks she is doing the right thing, she gets these partial things that just tell who needs to be there.  She had wondered why more Originals weren’t there, but she suspects their mother is interfering.   That seems to be a huge battle later, to deal with the Other Side interfering with them.

Closing his eyes at the news, Klaus sighs. “I would have liked to leave a guard on the two idiots in the tomb, but I rather the ritual go right with so much riding on it.”  He looks to Elijah and asks, “Is Elena ready?” He cares for his brother’s Mate, but his concern is cooler than with Bella. He just doesn’t feel the same for Elena as he does for Bella, though he does care about her and will protect her.

“Yes,” says a voice from the stairs, and they all look to see her standing there, her resolution obvious. “I have so much of his blood in me that I don’t know if the last bags I just did will be ok.”  She smiles at the people at the bottom of the steps, knowing that they will be important to her from now on.  She is dedicated to making sure that they have this chance they indicated that she will give them to be ahead of whoever is trying to wreck the world.

Elijah is suddenly behind her, then he lifts her up in a bridal hold and carries her into the library where he places her on one of the chairs. The rest of them follow, most with grins on their faces at seeing the cold Original being so caring towards his Mate.  There are some glances at Damon and Bella that the two catch, and couldn’t help their chuckles.

Making a decision, Alaric steps forward from the back of the group and offers, “I can go there.  At least we will know if something happens…” He trails off, rubbing the back of his neck.  He cannot do much, but at least they will know if something happens.

Klaus turns to look at the man who had housed his soul for a while, and finally nods. “You would be best, if something does come and is supernatural, then you would return from it.  Cause face it mates, if something does come for those two, it won’t be human.” He watches the man in front of him.  He hates to say it, but he has a feeling that something is going to happen, and Alaric may be able to call them to warn them when he comes back.

They all nod, and Damon walks forward to turn over one of the boards, and soon has a diagram of the area, and has them all placed on it.  He asks when he is done, “Are we missing anything?” He stands back and looks at what he had drawn.  He rubs his chin with his hand as his mind goes over the place that he had scouted with Bella on the way home last night.   He figured some reconnaissance would be helpful when they plan today.

The rest look over it, but Bella leans her head back on the chair as she moans, the feeling that something is pending is still strong.  When they look at her, she waives them off. “Still feeling like I’m missing something.”  She closes her eyes, and they can see her eyes moving as though she is trying to find something that is locked in her head.

Worried about her, Klaus walks over and crouches before her.  When she opens her eyes, he asks her, “You have gone over everything?” When she nods, he smiles at her. “Then stop feeling like it all depends on you.  There is nothing more that we can do.  But if it makes you feel better, we can all look until we leave.” He cups her face, and looks at her with the love he is beginning to feel for this petite woman.

She sighs, dropping her head back on her chair. “No.  Even if we did find it, what are the odds we can counter it more than we already are?  I’d rather us go to the ritual place and get everything ready.” She had talked with Damon about this, and he had told her the same thing, that they would all help her search if she so requested it.  But the advantages of being in place weigh more heavily on her mind than a search for something that may not be there _to_ find.

Klaus nods, then as he rises, he kisses her forehead. “I never thought I would have a niece, and I quite find I enjoy it.  So I fully intend to win that Uncle of the Year award.” He chuckles down at her, and the observers in the room feel as if they are interfering in a private moment between the two, but neither care as they both grin at each other in recognition of the familial feeling between them.

She nods, and Damon comes to her, pulling her up and then settling in her chair with her on his lap. “I vote we wait just a little bit.  Let us all make sure we are set, that we have everything we need.  If we leave in an hour, we will still have plenty of time to go back for anything we might miss.  But it is less time spent in the open.” He also thinks they all need the time to get themselves together, to get their heads firmly in the game so to speak.

They all agree and split up.  Bella heads to her garden to meditate. She needs to calm and center herself. Damon settles in a chair where he can see her, and watches over her. He makes sure that the time she evidently wants is hers.

 

* * *

Forty five minutes later, Klaus joins him, and Damon is instantly on alert. The hybrid has not come around him personally, and often Damon gets the feeling that he is only tolerated because of Bella.  There is no hiding the way Klaus has taken to Bella, nor the way she has taken to him.  Jasper has been seen giving the two jealous glances as they interact.  He wants what Klaus has with Bella.

[ ](http://kittyinaz.files.wordpress.com/2014/02/klaus-vampire-diaries.jpg)

 

Klaus sits down, slouching automatically in his chair as he watches his niece. He comments lowly, “You will protect her tonight?” He cannot shake the feeling that whatever Bella is worried about will hurt her.  And as he had mentioned before, she is a weakness.  Love gives others a way to have a hold over you, which was why he has often spurned it.  But Bella is different.  She is powerful in her own right, and with her Mate by her side she is damn near unstoppable.  In other words, it is safe for him to care for her.

Damon nods. “With my life if need be.” He does not look at the man beside him, preferring to watch his Mate as she sits so still that she has had butterflies land on her.  He smiles at the sight of a bird hopping closer to her, and sensing her joy, calls his familiar to join her.  The current Raven is one of the smarter ones he has had over time.

Watching the Raven that he suspects of being Damon’s familiar land near Bella, and looking for all intents and purposes as though it too is guarding her, Klaus snorts and comments to Damon, “But that is the problem.  You die, she dies.  So when you say you will protect her, I don’t want to hear about your life being offered instead.  I may have not liked you, mate, but you are Mated to the only child of my brother.  One I have wronged many times, and never wished to.  And his child is very special.  Very, very special, and I quite enjoy her.  So, we have an agreement that you will take care of her _and_ you, right?” His eyebrow lifts as he looks at the man he had been fighting against until only days ago.

[ ](http://kittyinaz.files.wordpress.com/2014/02/damon-51.png)

 

Damon smirks as he watches his familiar with his Mate. “I am as aware as you are of the consequences of something happening to me.  I may not have shown all my cards before, but for her, I take no chances.” His voice turns hard and he looks at the man who is now family to his little Mate who is _everything_ to him.

Klaus nods as he stands, and clamps his hand on Damon’s shoulder. “Good.  We will be leaving soon.” He looks out and his grin widens as he watches the familiar peck at a bluebird who tried to chase it away. The bird is as protective of his master’s Mate as his master is.

The smirk still hovering on his lips as he too watches his familiar in amusement, Damon tells him, “Jasper, Demetri, and the two of us are coming in by air.  The less they suspect, the better.  We will also drop off Alaric too.” He calls the bird to him and lifts an eyebrow as the Raven turns to him and glares.

Laughing at the interaction of the familiar and its master, Klaus nods. He is also thinking it through.  He then tells Damon his concern. “Watch that hybrid.  I have a bad feeling about him.” He doesn’t mind Jasper, so it isn’t that Demetri is a hybrid, it is something about the man and the way he looks at his niece when he thinks no one is watching.

Demetri has not learned that someone in their family is always watching.

Narrowing his eyes, Damon agrees. “You are not the only one.  But we need the asshole, so…” He shrugs as his familiar comes to him, having chased the bluebird away from his mistress.  Damon reaches up and the Raven rubs his head against his hand.  Damon’s eyes never leave his Mate, but narrow as he thinks of Demetri and the beast inside of him prowls as it tells him that the hybrid is a threat, too.

Glad to know that they’re on the same page, Klaus goes to leave then casts a look back at his niece. He chuckles as he watches the Raven fly from Damon to attack the blue bird again. He looks forward to seeing what Bella’s familiar will be since he has no doubt that Damon will show her how to have both a familiar and a spirit animal as his people called them.  It will be interesting to see.

Hearing a noise, Bella soon comes out of her meditation to find Damon crouching before her, his blue eyes searching her brown ones.  Whatever he sees, he smiles, and then stands. He holds his hand out to her and says, “We have a ritual to get to, carissima.  And a celebration afterwards that I am looking forward to.”

She laughs, and he pulls her up to him then kisses her deeply.  He steals her breath away, and when he lets her come up for air, he smirks down to her. “A forewarning of what I am planning for our celebration.”  He watches her with a smile on his face and in his eyes.  His familiar lands on his shoulder and looks down with its head cocked, studying its mistress.

She snorts. “I swear, every seven seconds,” she teases him, her love coming through. She is also laughing at the bird who is so like Damon it wasn’t funny.  Though she can see the difference now; Damon as the Raven keeps his blue eyes, but his Raven familiar is bigger than normal.

He laughs as his familiar flies off to make sure there are no problems, and offers his arm to escort her back to the house. “At least.  But would you have me any other way?” He looks down adoringly at his Mate, waiting for her rejoinder knowing it will make him laugh.

She lifts an eyebrow and answers, “Let me think about that,” as she playfully shoves him away.  The two play the rest of the way to the house, making the rest of the household look out at them carrying on. Seeing the smiles on their faces do more than the hour did to prepare them.

The two Mates are everything they are fighting for, and the fact that they are still fighting for the right future is enough to make everyone decide to make this ritual a success.  That decision is enough to have Bonnie’s eyes glow as she smiles softly and says, “Right Choice Made” in that bell-like tone that is Gaea speaking through her.

 

* * *

**Final count:  5,602 words.**

**Fairfarren~Wendy**


	28. Still Fight While I Can Fight

# Still Fight While I Can Fight

**[ ](http://kittyinaz.files.wordpress.com/2014/01/1013787_660058580699404_227829507_n.jpg) **

 

**Disclosure:  Twilight and Vampire Diaries are owned by their respective braianics that thought of it.**

**Pre Edit Count -   2,457 Words**

_Song I listened to for this chapter: Love the Way You Lie (Featuring Rhianna)_ by Eminem.

 

* * *

_Previous:_

_She laughs, and he pulls her up to him then kisses her deeply.  He steals her breath away, and when he lets her come up for air, he smirks down to her. “A forewarning of what I am planning for our celebration.”  He watches her with a smile on his face and in his eyes.  His familiar lands on his shoulder and looks down with its head cocked, studying its mistress._

_She snorts. “I swear, every seven seconds,” she teases him, her love coming through. She is also laughing at the bird who is so like Damon it wasn’t funny.  Though she can see the difference now; Damon as the Raven keeps his blue eyes, but his Raven familiar is bigger than normal._

_He laughs as his familiar flies off to make sure there are no problems, and offers his arm to escort her back to the house. “At least.  But would you have me any other way?” He looks down adoringly at his Mate, waiting for her rejoinder knowing it will make him laugh._

_She lifts an eyebrow and answers, “Let me think about that,” as she playfully shoves him away.  The two play the rest of the way to the house, making the rest of the household look out at them carrying on. Seeing the smiles on their faces do more than the hour did to prepare them._

_The two Mates are everything they are fighting for, and the fact that they are still fighting for the right future is enough to make everyone decide to make this ritual a success.  That decision is enough to have Bonnie’s eyes glow as she smiles softly and says, “Right Choice Made” in that bell-like tone that is Gaea speaking through her._

_Now:_

 

* * *

[ ](http://kittyinaz.files.wordpress.com/2014/05/damon-190.jpg)

 

Watching the area with his senses wide open and with both his and his Raven’s eyes, Damon lands them gently where the ritual is going to take place after having dropped Alaric off earlier.

He meets Jasper’s eyes, and while he doesn’t like the hybrid, he cannot deny he would rather have him at his back than Demetri.  On the way over, he and Jasper had discussed it, and Jasper had finally mentioned the old stand-by about the devil you know versus the devil you don’t.  But when Bella had let Damon know that she would rather have Jasper patrolling than Demetri, that had been the end of that.

However, he watches gravely as Jasper and Demetri both take off to patrol until Caroline and Tyler can take over, at which time Demetri will return to stand guard to try to sense anything that may get through the lines.  Damon glances over the area and sighs as he runs his hand through his hair. This area is not ideal for what they are trying to do, but when are the places for witches’ rituals ever in an ideal location?

Standing there, trying to sense through the elements as she can feel him doing, Bella watches her Mate and comments, “Odd that only a few days ago you would be trying to kill Klaus to prevent this from happening.” She can feel the conflict inside of him, and is guessing what it may be.

He nods as he uses the wind to search the area, then scans the earth to make sure nothing is below them. “Though I wonder about how, when we saw the _other_ way, I never influenced the fire to save her.” It is telling how he admits so easily faults he can find in himself during the previous timeline, ones that show him that his whole heart wasn’t where he thought it was at the time.  No, this woman before him, she is the one that he had been waiting for – not Elena, and certainly not Katherine.  Looking back through the timeline, there are hints of it.

Nodding as she feels him using his senses with the very elements to keep them safe, she adds, “Because you were still hiding.  Damon, you didn’t really take all that much seriously until the end.” She is blunt, telling her Mate that she has already thought of the reason.  Her Mate was scared of being hurt, so he learned not to take life seriously, for in his life everything was taken from him.  He had learned to hide himself, and it was not until he realized that Bella would be it that he allowed himself to be complete again.

He turns to look at her, and searches her face. “Until you were close to me.” He, too, had searched the timeline, and had seen that the cracks in his way of being had started when he was close to his Mate. He had felt at that moment that it was all or nothing, that he could be whole again, and the crack in the glass surrounding his heart had widened.

Nodding, she smiles at him. “I love you, Damon Salvatore,” she tells him, knowing that the simple statement tells him everything that he needs to know.

He smiles and moves forward to take her in his arms, and kisses her briefly, murmuring to her, “Love you too, Mia Carissima.”  Then he raises her left hand and kisses the ring he had placed there. “And this is not everything. It is a promise; I will make sure everyone knows that you are mine, my equal, my better half.” The last is said softly as he looks into the brown eyes of his Mate, his emotions flowing through their bond, but also there in his eyes for those like her to see.

Wanting to break the moment, Bella laughs. “No talking like that.  Don’t you know that the ones who do in the movies are the one who die first?  So, no talking like this is something huge in our life.  It’s just a normal, everyday night for us.” She tilts her head to the side. Her eyes give her away to her Mate, but he continues her little ruse.

Swinging her around in his arms, he laughs and then teases her, “The one who dies is the one who is talking about going back to his lady love.  I have mine with me.” He gives her a noisy kiss to the side of her head. The two calm down some, the joking and teasing helping to soothe their nerves.

But the reason they are here is not far from either of their minds.   In the midst of her chuckles, a noise, a change in the winds that they are both monitoring, has her turning her head, and he steps in front of her as they make out the rest of them approaching.  He gently pulls her a little more behind him, making sure she is safe. As much as he jokes with her, he cannot shake the feeling something big is going to happen tonight, and this woman he guards is everything.  He will do what he can to make this ritual a success, but if it comes down to his Mate, or the ritual?  His Mate comes first.  Every. Fucking. Time.

 

* * *

[ ](http://kittyinaz.files.wordpress.com/2014/02/untitled.png)

 

Since everyone is present, they soon have the sacrificial wolf and vampire in their respective circles, with Damon and Bella making sure the fire keeps them contained.  With the ritual being magical, the two of them have to work together, but since Bonnie wants them to help, it is easier to do. Their powers blend in a new way, but one that the two will remember how to use in the future, with devastating effects.

Damon chuckles as he watches the vampire and Jules both stare at the dome of fire encasing them, but neither one feels the heat.  It is unnerving to them and he can see the expressions on their face.  He is not happy with either sacrifice, but he will leave them to Klaus to kill, knowing that the other man will not allow anything to threaten their family.

He smirks to himself.  Bella has been hurt by the betrayal of one family, but another is forming around her now, and she will find out that they will go to their end fighting for their family. Not only the ones by blood, but the others, too, are drawn to his little Mate.

The rest of them come and take their places, with Demetri in front of the two mates since neither trusts him.  He smirks but takes his place as he vows to earn the trust of the two behind them.  Everything he has seen tells him that they are the two to convince.  The world is shifting, and he is a survivor.  His instincts tell him that the little female that he had thought to be Jasper’s mate is the key to it all. Though, if she was his mate, he would teach her that females are meant to be seen and not heard.

Tyler gives Jules a look of disgust, having been there when Elijah made her tell them the plans she had, and he could not believe that they would threaten the one person who didn’t make him feel as though he is a freak.   He has no trouble with her being the sacrifice.  Not with how she used his uncle’s name to make him more trusting of her only to later discover that Mason had not trusted her at all.

He and Caroline have taken off to do their part to make this happen, with Klaus promising Tyler that this is the last time he would feel this pain. Bonnie has cast a spell for the night, one that took a lot of power, to allow Tyler to control the Darkside, his wolf, and not attack Caroline.  Though Klaus has told him that he is the cure to the poison of a werewolf biting a vampire.  He had given Bella his blood in a vial in case something happens, and Caroline as well in case the spell was brought down and Tyler bit her.

The two Mates watch as Klaus hands Bonnie the moonstone, meeting her eyes.  She takes it and, chanting, drops it on the altar as a fire springs up.  It surrounds the stone, and the fire that encases the three is made more powerful as the spell channels through them.  It is also halting Jules’ transformation and making the other vampire also feel the same pain, as though he has not fed in months and is still whole.

Jules is on the ground screaming as the change is being repressed, making her feel the same pain Klaus has felt for years.  She finally looks over at Elena in her own ring and gasps out, “Everything I did, I did for Tyler.  I didn’t want him to be alone.” She believes he should be part of their pack, that he would be in so much more pain not having a pack.  And with his family lines, he would be a powerful addition to her pack.

Elena shakes her head and tells the woman in disgust, “You tried to kill Damon, you killed Rose.  You threatened those I care about.   You planned to take Caroline and torture her.  The only reason you were stopped is because you were being watched.  Everything you did was to cause pain.  Tyler is fine as he is.” Her voice is strong with her conviction.  Whatever Tyler needs can be found in this family that is springing up around them.

From his place Tyler howls in support of Elena’s words, and in thanks that she is proving to be the same loyal and trustworthy friend he had known all his life.  It had only been Stefan’s influence that seemed to change his friend into someone he barely knew, and now she sounds like the girl he had played with when they were little.

Klaus just smirks as he comes to the edge of Jules’ circle and nods to his niece and her Mate. They lower the dome, and he walks in to her.  He shakes his head as she turns and goes to attack him, his hand shooting out and going through her chest to wrap around her heart.  He snarls at her, “This is what you have earned planning against those who are mine.”  And with that he rips out her heart allowing her to drop to the ground.

He feels the power coursing through him, and cannot help but grin as the pain, for the first time in his life since it had appeared, lessens.  He throws back his head in triumph knowing that the ritual is working.

Remembering his niece’s feeling that something will happen, he turns to the vampire Damon and Bella brought him, chuckling.  He slowly approaches him, and the vampire tries to back away from him, but Damon shakes his head as Bella thins out the shield and lets him feel the heat.  Neither had liked the modus operandi that the vampire had used to get his victims, and how he preferred to kill each and every time.  No one is feeling kindly towards him.

Both are prepared when the vampire tries to bolt as Klaus steps up to the dome, and instead of allowing the dome to fall as they did with Jules, the two open a hole for him to step in.  However, the effort is more than they expect, and the dome flickers.

The vampire takes the chance and jumps out of the top where it has faded, and while burning, he goes to attack the two who had brought him to this hell.  He knows he is going to die, but he will get his revenge in some fashion.

When the dome crashes down, Damon pulls the flame to flare in front of himself and his Mate as Klaus roars and rushes the vampire. This is part of what Klaus has feared, that his newest family member would be in danger.  And here it is, happening in front of his very eyes.  The rage he feels coursing through him causes him to brutally grab the vampire’s spine rip it out.  With a gleam in his eyes, he meets Damon’s look and nods in appreciation for the male holding back from killing the vampire who threatened his Mate. He then drives a stake through the vampire’s chest. The power that washes over him is enough to make him want to howl in triumph.

Damon is panting from the effort it takes to not kill something that tried to attack his Mate, and only the fact that his senses are still heightened from that attack allow him to catch the sense of another coming. He snarls as a blur flies towards them, and he manages to bring up the shield just as Bella screams.  The honorless asshole had tried to attack the weakest one in the group, and Damon is seething as he looks at the being he holds in their shield.

Klaus is quick to move toward his niece to protect her from this blind attack, but he is pushed back by a blast of wind.  He turns in the air, and stares at the man who has tried to kill him so many times. A snarl reverberates through the air as he recognizes the man who is trying to take his family from him once again.

[ ](http://kittyinaz.files.wordpress.com/2014/02/tumblr_lvpebdndv91qzq61co1_500.gif)

 

Mikael, their father, is beating on the shield Damon had pulled up, screaming something that they couldn’t hear. But the impact of each of the blows is visible and is making the shield vibrate.

Bella, her eyes dark, stands up, and Klaus can see the blood seeping from her back, and realizes that Mikael must have attacked her before Damon captured him in the shied. The rage that is seeping through him is iced over by the fact that she is hurt.  The newest member of the family, one he has allowed himself to love again, is hurt.  His brain kicks in and he realizes that they need to complete the ritual.

He yells at Damon, “Hold him!  If he gets out of there, he will ruin the ritual!” With those words he stares down to the man who holds his heart as well as the rest of the family’s, literally in his hands.

Gritting his teeth, Damon nods, “Finish it.” He bears down with his impressive will to keep the vampire in the shield until he can kill him for hurting his Mate.  He can feel her pain and _no one_ is allowed to hurt her!

Bella is mad, but he can tell she is hurt badly, and pulls her close to him.  He almost sighs in relief as she concentrates and helps shore up the shield.  Damon can feel that the vampire inside of it is somehow leaching the strength away as he pounds on it.  His Mate adding to the shield makes it stronger, but they both look at each other as they feel the power being taken from it.

Gritting her teeth against the pain, Bella concentrates on the shield, feeling that it was imperative to keep it up.   The ritual has to be completed – _this_ is why she and Damon need to be here, and she will _not_ fail!

Standing at Bonnie’s side, Elijah burns with the need to protect his daughter and his Mate, but he trusts his family to do what they can.  He can tell that the two that had sensed Mikael can’t do anything more than what they’re currently doing, and that they now have to rely on Demetri as a warning system for any other attacks.

Never mind what he thinks of the hybrid, he has to acknowledge that he had heard the hybrid try to give warning at the same time Damon had reacted.  So he hoped the hybrid can warn them, knowing the speed of his father is nowhere like any others. These two all of a sudden are the only ones keeping them all safe, and if there are more out there he hopes that the three patrolling will take care of it.  He also hopes they don’t try to come to help; it may hurt the concentration he feels from his children.  Unable to leave Bonnie undefended with an untrained vampire hunter, he growls as he watches the two women who are his life and prays that the Mates can manage to keep the shield up until after the ritual is finished.

[ ](http://kittyinaz.files.wordpress.com/2014/02/tumblr_llez1s6vm01qk397go1_400.gif)

 

Klaus moves towards Elena. He notices that her dome is down since the other two need everything they have to hold the Original Vampire Hunter in their cage. He walks up to Elena, and cupping her face, asks, “Ready love?” He looks compassionately into her eyes, trying to calm her down.   They need to hurry, but there is no need to frighten the girl.

She takes a deep breath, and he tells her, “The ritual says I have to drink until you die.  I will drink, then break your neck to cause your death.  I am sorry for the pain, love.  But I thank you.” He looks intently into her eyes as he makes sure she understands.

Staring into his eyes, she nods, telling him, “Hurry.”  She turns to face Elijah, needing to have that contact with him in what she knows will be the last moments of her human life.

 

He nods, and then quick as lightning, bites into her neck. His own eyes meet his brother’s as he sends his regret to him, trying to make him understand this is not what he wishes to do, that he has no wish to cause him this pain.

Unable to keep it in, Elijah snarls as his instincts scream at him to attack, and he holds himself back while vibrating in place.  He then understands the struggle Damon had when the vampire had tried to attack his Mate, and then again when Mikael attacked.  And he acknowledges that if the Vampire can do it, he will be the one to kill Mikael for the pain he has caused his mate, Elijah’s own daughter.

In the weakening shield, Mikael laughs, the shield having been thinned out enough to allow his voice through.  “Elijah, how weak are you?  There is your brother, draining your Mate!  How long are you going to have to wait until she comes again, if she even can with the reason for being a Doppelganger is over?” He mocks his eldest, the one who he killed first to make him the vampire he is today…the one that he sacrificed to their Gods to make the others and him powerful enough to be here today and to defend against the werewolves.

Hearing the words, Damon’s eyes flash in anger but he says nothing as he works to keep the shield around the vampire even though he wants nothing more than to kill him where he stands.  He can feel the blood running down over his hand that is keeping his Mate held to his own back as he growls at the vampire in front of him.

Turning his body in triumph, Klaus meets his stepfather’s gaze as he drinks.  His hands rise to do as he promised, and Mikael lifts an eyebrow at his stepson.  “Are you sure that this will work?  That killing her will complete the ritual?  All it would take is a few more draws of her blood and you will ensure your freedom from the curse.”  Mikael is desperate and will do or say anything to stop this travesty from becoming real, from allowing _the_ Hybrid free of the curse they had placed on him long ago.

And in that moment, Klaus understands Bonnie’s warning to stay true to the path.  His eyes meet his brother’s again and he then breaks his brother’s mate’s neck.  He freezes, unable to catch Elena before she falls to the ground, as the power from the curse being broken rushes into his body. It is amazing as he effortlessly turns into his wolf.  The strength, the sheer force of knowing he is finally powerful enough to take on his stepfather, to protect the family who has just sacrificed so much for him, has him lifting his snout into the air as he howls.

[ ](http://kittyinaz.files.wordpress.com/2014/05/balthazar-sebastian-roche-27622575-500-281.gif)

 

Then the huge wolf lowers his snout and grins at his stepfather who stops trying to get out of the shield; he instead backs away into the farthest point of it. Fear of his stepson courses through his entire being, and for the first time since becoming a vampire, he is in terror for his life, of no longer being on this earth.  He has so much more he needs to do!

Now that the ritual is complete and Klaus is able to shift, Elijah is by his Mate’s side, and picks her up.  He then pauses and stares at his daughter, needing to save her at the same time.  Damon solves the issue, demanding, “Take her and GO!” He is holding Bella to him, his mind frantically working as he tries to feel why his Mate has not yet healed.  He does not need the additional worry of Elijah and Elena on his mind.

Elijah stares into his son’s eyes, then nods, trusting him.  Damon takes a second, having to allow his Mate to assume the weight of the shield, as he sends a pulse through the earth. This is the signal to inform Jasper, Caroline, and Tyler that the ritual is done, but that something has happened to fuck it all up.  When he feels Elijah and Elena leave, he acknowledges Jasper’s pause for the concern that it is, and supports his Mate as Jeremy, Demetri, and Bonnie are all brought in behind him and made to stay there by the accompanying gust of wind.

Noting that the hybrid has Bonnie in his arms and hat Jeremy is riding piggyback on him, he glares at the vampire as he shoots a pulse of air at Klaus, unsure whether to leave him, or take them all at the same time.  Bella is hurt too badly for them to keep the vampire in the shield, and Damon knows that while they can all leave, the intruding vampire would get free.

Klaus growls as he feels the pulse, and with another growl he gives Damon a quick look, then keeps advancing slowly on his hated enemy.  He will kill his father.

Before Damon can think of another solution, Bella’s legs give out, and he sweeps her up in his arms as he takes off with them all, Klaus included as the shield falls.  He needs them all away, knowing that his Mate would be worried about her uncle if he didn’t bring him along. As soon as Klaus sees Bella in Damon’s arms, he stops fighting the ball of air that is taking them through the air at a speed he couldn’t believe.

The vampire turned hunter of his own kind tries to jump to catch them, but Damon has them moving as fast as he can, trying to get them all to safety before his powers fail without his Mate’s accompanying energy.  These balls of elemental power are not as easy without her shield.

They all land roughly on the back lawn of the home, and Damon rushes his Mate inside as Klaus forces himself back into his vampire state. He then storms through the house, calling for Jonas to raise the spell which would protect the home from any who did not belong, There is no time, they need the dwelling protected as its mistress is down and nothing is in their minds but her as they rush through the house.

Jasper, Caroline, and Tyler run through the doors just as the light crashes down around the house, signifying the spell is in place.  They halt as they see the trail of blood, Jasper growling and his eyes going black as he smells that his Bella is the one spilling the blood.

Elijah comes out of the room that Elena is in, his worry for his daughter enough to allow him to leave his Mate’s side.  He nods as Caroline and Tyler slide into the room to watch over her as he, Klaus, and Jasper storm into Bella and Damon’s room

Damon is trying to get her to feed from him but growls when she can’t swallow, and nods in gratitude as Elijah takes her head and coaxes her throat to take his blood.  He is almost panicking, only the long years of solitude and the knowledge that keeping a steady head would be better to help his Mate making it possible.

Klaus soon turns her over enough to see what caused the injury, and snarls as he sees the white oak stake in her back, barely missing her heart.  Before he gets a chance, Jasper grabs it, pulls it out, and flings it across the room.  Klaus covers the wound with his hand and applies pressure to try to stop the bleeding. All three members of her family are operating as one to save the tiny woman before them.

The four watch as the wound in her back slowly closes, and breathe out a sigh of relief. And when she chokes, all the males’ shoulders relax as they realize she will be fine.  Damon is leaning over her, needing to see her eyes the minute she opens them, and the others watch anxiously for them to reconnect.

Bella’s brown eyes flutter, then fly open to meet her Mate’s worried eyes.  She tells Damon, “I remember what I forgot.”

 

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**Final count:   4,642 words.**

**Fairfarren~Wendy**

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****A/N:  This is the next-to-last chapter.  The final chapter is already available on my Wordpress site.  It's short, but gives some great clues...****


	29. Just Another Day

#  Just Another Day

 

**[ ](http://kittyinaz.files.wordpress.com/2014/01/2009-sc-waterfalls.jpg) **

 

 

**Disclosure:  Twilight and Vampire Diaries are owned by their respective braianics that thought of it.**

**Pre Edit Count -   587 Words**

_Song I listened to for this chapter: Another Day in Paradise_ by Phil Collins.

 

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_Previous:_

_Damon is trying to get her to feed from him but growls when she can’t swallow, and nods in gratitude as Elijah takes her head and coaxes her throat to take his blood.  He is almost panicking, only the long years of solitude and the knowledge that keeping a steady head would be better to help his Mate making it possible._

_Klaus soon turns her over enough to see what caused the injury, and snarls as he sees the white oak stake in her back, barely missing her heart.  Before he gets a chance, Jasper grabs it, pulls it out, and flings it across the room.  Klaus covers the wound with his hand and applies pressure to try to stop the bleeding. All three members of her family are operating as one to save the tiny woman before them._

_The four watch as the wound in her back slowly closes, and breathe out a sigh of relief. And when she chokes, all the males’ shoulders relax as they realize she will be fine.  Damon is leaning over her, needing to see her eyes the minute she opens them, and the others watch anxiously for them to reconnect._

_Bella’s brown eyes flutter, then fly open to meet her Mate’s worried eyes.  She tells Damon, “I remember what I forgot.”_

 

_Now:_

 

* * *

As Damon consoles his Mate by telling her that it was not her fault, with Klaus and Elijah adding that they had also forgotten about him since they had believed him to still be imprisoned, elsewhere someone lands on their feet behind Alaric and, before he can react, they snap his neck.

They snarl as they stare down at the vampire hunter, then turn to the vault and push the rock away to reveal Katherine and Stefan inside waiting.  She lifts an eyebrow. “I take it you have seen the truth for yourself?” She has her arms crossed, waiting for him to come.

She laughs when the other snarls at her, and walks out of the vault.  When Stefan calls out to her, she looks behind and lifts an eyebrow. “Did you really think I would risk myself for you?  Especially after you have forsaken me for that pitiful copy of me?” She rolls her eyes as she places her hand on her hip.

While he stares at her, she takes the arm of the being who freed her and tosses them over her shoulder. “If you behave, maybe I will come back for you.” She laughs as she walks away, thinking that he will at least be out of her way and that she will come back, once everything is resolved.

With that he watches as she walks away from him, yet again.

 

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In another part of the world, a large door opens and a man enters a chamber with three beings seated on thrones.  He mockingly bows to them.

The one in the middle waives at him, and asks impatiently, “Well?”

The man smirks and tells him, “It is all true.  She knows of us, and it seems there is one of our kind protecting her.  If any of us come near, they are killed.  But your laws are being mocked, oh great kings.” He leans against the wall cleaning his nails as he waits for the inevitable outburst to come.

The white haired being on the right side of the one who spoke snarls out, but the man just laughs at them.  “What will you do?  Your oh-so-mighty laws have been flaunted by one you favor, and there is a woman running around with the secret who is now a celebrated researcher.  I hear she specializes in Vampires – so much so that she wrote that god-awful book that has been so popular.” He cannot help but shudder at the monstrosity that the masses are reading and clamoring for another of its type.

The rulers snarl, and the man laughs as he leaves the throne room. He tells one of the vampires outside the door, “Heidi, do be a dear and bring me a couple. I’ll be in my rooms.” He waives her off as he walks down the hallway.

The vampire in question shudders at his request, but quickly leaves to comply.  The man strides through the halls as if they are his own, whistling a tune as he thinks over everything he has discovered.

Oh yes, it is about time for some changes around here, and he knows exactly who will be enacting those changes.  He laughs, and the other vampires in the castle shudder.

_To be continued…_

 

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**Final count:  808 words.**

**Fairfarren~Wendy**

****A/N:  Thanks for reading this fic. I will not be updating this right away, I have another sequel before it, but I will be doing this in the next few months. I really appreciate everyone of you, and the love you have shown for this fic. I never anticipated the response I received for it. If you wish to know more of what I am working on, please feel free to follow me on my website, which I update every Sunday at lest, or on other days on what is going on, or on my Facebook page. Thanks again!!****


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